Of Love and War: Travels
Author's note: Ok… don't panic… It's here. I managed not to take four years in writing this chapter… *sighs* Warning… mildly hyper Joey ^_~
Warnings: Yaoi, Au, possible OOCness, etc.
Disclaimer: Baka… no own!
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Darkness. Night had fallen quickly after an uneventful first day on the road. The trees around them sheltered the sliver of moonlight from the ground.
"We'll have no moon in a few days," Ishtal murmured, breaking the silence with a lopsided smirk. He and Bakura had been chosen to keep first watch that night while the others slept.
"Shouldn't be a problem," the silver haired thief responded, eyes gazing through the darkness with keen sharpness. Ishtal had to repress a chuckle at the half-blood. The thief hadn't realized his eyes were glowing a brilliant blood red.
"For you maybe," the mage mumbled. Bakura shot him a confused glare, while the mage just smirked.
"What do you mean by that?" the thief demanded. Ishtal's smirk widened.
"Oh, nothing," he replied, eyes narrowed in amusement. Bakura just scowled and turned away, glaring at the darkened trees. *He doesn't realize what he is,* the mage thought gleefully. *He has so much power at his disposal and he doesn't even know it.* Ishtal glanced back at the sleeping camp. Malik was sleeping peacefully on top of one of the blankets they had brought, with Ryou near by on a second blanket.
Both the elf and the young mage looked amazingly vulnerable at that moment. Nearby, as if standing guard over the boys and the rest of the camp, the black pony, which Malik had named Anubis, snorted and scuffed the ground with his hoof. Ishtal grinned at the pony. The creature was better than a guard dog in some respects, once you got on it's good side. The mage sighed and turned back to his glowering companion.
"Have you ever met a half-blood mage?" he asked idly. Bakura's eye twitched in response.
"No," he replied shortly. The subject of his past was not something he was willing to bring up. Ishtal raised a delicate eyebrow.
"Really?" he asked. "I'd have thought someone with your talents would have. I've never heard of someone teaching themselves to shadow hop without help." Bakura glared at the mage.
"I did," he snapped. "I had to." Ishtal sighed. The thief really didn't know. But then, he… well… no one really knew much about the half-blood in the first place. Ishtal knew that Bakura had been an extremely talented street thief, one that had become almost legendary. None who he had stolen from could even remember what he looked like. All they could describe was a pair of glowing blood red eyes emanating from a cloud of darkness.
The Shadow Thief they called him, and he was well named. He had never once been caught, not until Pegasus himself had stepped in to find him. Only Ryou, the one person who seemed to have the ability to get through to Bakura could possibly know more, and judging by the young healer's nature, Ishtal doubted he knew much.
*No one could have taught themselves to shadow hop from nothing,* the mage thought. *He's a dark mage, whether he realizes it or not. Only one of them, and a powerful one at that could actually teach themselves such a rare trick.* Ishtal chuckled aloud, earning a sharp glare from his companion.
*Dark mages are incredibly rare. Most go entire lifetimes without ever meeting one. Only half-bloods can bare that power after all. This should be entertaining, watching Bakura try and figure out what he really is.*
"If you're done amusing yourself at my expense, we should wake the next watch," the thief snapped with a glare. Ishtal nodded, standing and brushing himself off.
*I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens, ne Bakura?*
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The second day of traveling went as smoothly as the first. The forest trails were wide and simple to navigate, and the sun wasn't too hot beneath the forest canopy. Yugi felt unusually calm and rejuvenated as they traveled the green path. Every once in a while he would sneak a glance behind him, grinning brightly when he caught Yami's eyes.
The elven prince couldn't help but be in a good mood as he watched his young lover half-skip along the road. It was so beautiful, so calming, so… home. As an elf Yami had always been particularly attuned to the forest, always conscious of its rhythms and movements. There was no malice in the forest this day, only calm joyful life.
"The sun will be setting in a few hours," Seto murmured, peering through a small break in the trees. "We should begin looking for a camp site."
"Do you think maybe we can find some fish for dinner, nii-san?" Mokuba asked, looking up at his brother curiously. Seto smiled slightly, ruffling his brother's hair.
"Perhaps," he answered. Joey couldn't help but grin at the exchange. Seto was cold to everyone, even him… everyone except his young brother. The half-blood mage had even given up his own freedom to protect him. It was comforting to know, that even someone who seemed so callous at times could have a heart.
"Nii-san?" Shizuka asked him, catching his attention. Joey jumped, then glanced at her, tilting his head.
"Yeah?" he asked. Shizuka smiled innocently, a gleam of mischief in her eye. She definatly hadn't been wrong about the way her brother was looking at the tall half-blood, but she had more important news for now.
"There's a small stream about a mile ahead with a clearing next to it," she answered. Joey blinked, then shook his head. How is sister always seemed to know such things he didn't know.
"Alright," he said, slowing his pace until he met up with Yami. The prince looked up at him with his usual calm expression, though his crimson eyes betrayed his contentment. "Shizuka says there's a brook about a mile up," Joey told him. "She thinks it would be a good place to stay." Yami raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to ask how a human girl would know. The prince closed his eyes, branching out with his magic until he found the brook. It was there, just as Shizuka had said.
"It does seem like a good place," he replied with a nod. "It's relatively safe from what I can tell." Joey grinned.
"Great," he exclaimed, then bounded back up to the front of their line. Bakura chuckled lightly as the fire mage dashed past, noting with amusement that the blonde had fallen into line right behind Seto yet again. Seeing the source of his bond-mage's amusement, Ryou elbowed him lightly in the ribs and grinned.
"Now what have I told you about mocking Joey and his obsession?" the elf asked him in a mock-patronizing tone. Bakura's chuckle deepened as he wrapped an arm loosely around the healer's waist.
"To exploit it as much as possible?" he asked innocently, causing Ryou to laugh aloud.
"Sometimes I don't know what to do with you," the healer gasped through giggles. Bakura just grinned, holding his healer closer. For some reason, the air of the day was so calming, even for him. Usually he would feel the need to be on guard even in the most quiet of times, but now… it was as if the trees were whispering a lulling lullaby that calmed him to his very soul.
Up ahead, Ishtal called their party to a halt. Glancing over his shoulder to wait as the rest caught up. Not quite noticing that the party had stopped, and completely lost in the calming feeling of the forest, Otogi accidentally bumped into Honda, before jumping back with a light blush and apologizing. Malik grinned at the action, petting Anubis' cheek lightly. The pony too was feeling the calm of the forest. He nudged Malik's shoulder lightly, mischievously almost, earning a slight giggle from the young journey-mage.
"Ahem," Ishtal coughed lightly to get their attention. "It's come to my attention that you'd like to stop soon," he said with a wink.
"There's a decent clearing about a mile ahead," Yami noted casually, winking at Shizuka, who blushed at the acknowledgment. Ishtal grinned.
"Then we'll stop there," he stated.
As the group moved on from that spot beneath the trees, Malik felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He stopped suddenly, earning a concerned head-but from Anubis. He shook his head, stroking the pony's neck to reassure it.
"It's alright Anubis," he murmured. "I'm sure it's nothing." The blonde journey-mage glanced back at the group as he continued on his way, catching Bakura's eyes in the sweep. He shivered at the narrowed eyes that caught his own. It wasn't nothing… and he wasn't the only one who knew it.
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Yami and Seto found their watch to be almost obnoxiously quite that night, though neither really minded the silence. A light wind rustled through the trees, though no other sound could really be heard. Yami had centered himself against a comfortable bounder, gazing out towards the babbling brook that ran along side their camp. His eyes were closed, as his power drifted through the forest searching for anything unusual. Seto had stationed himself on the low hanging branch of a knarled tree, calmly watching over their surroundings with alert sapphire eyes.
"Anything?" the half-blood asked shortly as Yami came back to himself. The prince shook his head.
"Nothing." Seto nodded at the response, not once looking away from the trees.
"What do you think?" Yami was started by the half-blood mage's sudden question. "About this journey I mean." The prince let out a long suppressed sigh.
"I don't know," he replied honestly. Seto glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. "Part of me doesn't want to know the truth," Yami explained. "I don't know if I want to learn that it was my kind that destroyed everything. I don't even want to know if it was the human kindred instead." The prince glanced at Yugi's sleeping form as he spoke, crimson eyes softening slightly. The small boy was curled in a tight ball near the fire, breathing lightly.
"And if it was neither?" Seto asked him. Yami shrugged.
"Will that knowledge change centuries of hate so easily?" he asked in reply.
"No," Seto murmured after a moment's thought, his eyes shifting back to the trees. "No it won't." Yami couldn't help but agree.
"At least, maybe we can start something."
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Soft chocolate eyes blinked open in the pale morning light. Ryou lifted a hand, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. It was still early, the sun was just beginning to rise and only the faintest light could be seen beneath the trees. What had wakened him so early? The forest around the camp was quite except for the babbling brook and the slight breeze. Shaking his head, Ryou listened through the trees. It was too quiet, especially considering the time. Where were the birds singing their morning song? Where were the small creatures peaking out of their holes and the night predators fluttering home?
A firm hand curled itself in the tails of his tunic, making itself known. Ryou smiled softly, glancing down at the sleeping thief beside him. Then his smile faded to a frown. Bakura was shaking slightly. Biting his lip, Ryou shook the thief, trying to break him out of his nightmare. It wasn't unusual for Bakura to have violent dreams, as his past had been ruff, but it was definatly unusual for him not to wake up after Ryou shook him. The thief was an incredibly light sleeper.
Now slightly nervous, Ryou glanced around the rest of the camp, searching for anyone that might help him figure out what was going on. All around the dying embers of the fire, his companions lay in slumber, seemingly resting peacefully at first glance. But they weren't peaceful… they were shaking as well. What could give everyone in the camp such violent dreams and have no affect on him? Ryou shuddered, at a loss for what to do. Something was very wrong.
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Author's note: Hee ^_^ Finally another chapter ne?
Bakura: All right… now what the hell have you gotten us into?
*evil devious smirk* You'll just have to wait and see. ^_^ Don't forget to review!