Umi
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Notes: Much thanks to Aura Black Chan. Thanks to my supreme slowness, she probably doesn't remember what I'm thanking her for. ::sighs::
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Chapter 2
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"Yes, thank you," Mako said graciously. He picked up the loaf of bread he'd just bought and walked away.
He'd been traveling all over, and one thing that had stood out clearly was how different the seaside towns were from the inland towns. While inland towns were drab, identical, and weary, towns bordering the sea were lively and bustling. A bit of old world, he mused, walking along the docks. True, all the buildings and things had been redone, but it seemed the most like home to him. The shops lining the streets, the old-fashioned sailboats in the waters; and best of all the fresh smells. Bread, saltwater, and seaweed. Maybe he'd settle down in this place a while.
"Excuse me," he said, approaching a figure at the end of the docks. "Can I ask you a question?"
The young woman turned around. "Sure!" she said, making a motion as if to get up. She'd been sitting on the edge, letting her feet dangle over the side.
"Wait," Mako said hastily, lowering himself to sit beside her. "Don't get up." He grinned at her, and she smiled brightly back. The sun felt good on his face, so he closed his eyes and basked a moment. The woman next to him didn't seem to mind.
"This is a great town," Mako said finally.
"I love it," she agreed, swinging her feet. "I've lived here my whole life. It hasn't changed much, not even when Marik and Bakura took over.""Really?" He was surprised. "Things inland are a lot different," he told her, absently scratching an itch on his head. "Dull, dead…"
"I've heard that." His new companion frowned and shoved a strand of light brown hair out of her face. "It's hard to believe that any place could be so unhappy."
"It's not pleasant," he said simply. After another long pause, he decided to ask her the question: "Is there a place in town I could stay for a while? Do you have hotels or inns?"
"Oh, sure we do!" the woman said enthusiastically. She twisted around and pointed, and Mako followed her gaze. "See that building over there? The white one?"
Neither of them noticed the two pairs of eyes hastily ducking into the shadow of the building. People walking down the street didn't pay much attention to them either. The two people, a man and woman in their mid-thirties, were dressed in Rare Hunter garb. Although Rare Hunters passed through the village less frequently than the other towns nearby, which were assigned permanent Rare Hunter guards, it wasn't an unusual occurrence. Their behavior, looking suspiciously like spying, wasn't confronted either; people enjoyed their freedom and didn't want to mess with Marik and Bakura's guards.
"That's him?" Tanya asked her companion.
"Mako Tsunami," Troy confirmed. He had a scrawny look to him and black eyes like a weasel. "Marik said to banish him to the Shadow Realm immediately."
"No questioning him?" Tanya asked, raising her thick eyebrows. Her blonde hair was in wild curls and cut short around her pudgy face.
"They know what he did," Troy snickered. "Apparently he's the reason the Pharaoh is still alive."
Tanya made a disgusted noise through her teeth. "Then what are we waiting for?" She smiled unpleasantly and reached ominously for her deck. "Should we get the woman as well?"
"Yes," Troy said, squinting at her closely. "Her as well."
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"Nice to meet you, Mako," the woman said, accepting his proffered hand. "I'm Aura."
"Aura," he repeated, smiling at her. "Thank you for your help. Perhaps I'll see you around town?"
"That'd be nice," she said, standing slowly. Mako clambered up beside her. "How long-"
Aura never finished her sentence. A blue blur shot through the air and directly into Mako, sending him tumbling head-over-heels into the sea.
Acting on instinct, Aura dove to the side as the blue blur swerved sharply and made a bypass at her. She glanced up in time to see another blur coming at her, and flung her body into the sea. She hit the water heavily, not having time to straighten out into a proper dive. She waved her limbs, straightening herself, and pushed her wet hair out of her face.
The first blur, a Duel Monster that she recognized as Furious Sea King, was crouching on the dock. They made eye contact, and the Monster lurched into the water after her. Aura gasped before ducking underwater again and frantically swimming forward; she felt something brush against her leg. She blindly kicked out, then propelled herself forward another few feet before something grabbed her arm. She twisted in the water, opening her eyes wide, and saw Mako's face. His eyes were wild.
A splash, several yards away. The second Monster- Misairuzame- had hit the water; she could see a shadowy outline.
She tugged on Mako's arm and motioned for him to swim off to the left. They silently began swimming underwater; her lungs were starting to hurt. But they were heading for a shallow area, in which lots of reeds were growing. It would be harder to spot them in there.
Finally they entered the reedy area. Ignoring the slight itch as they brushed against her skin, Aura maneuvered until she was on her back and cautiously poked her head to the surface, taking in great gulps of air as quietly as she could. A few feet away, Mako was doing the same thing.
"They're searching for us," Mako said quietly, when his breathing had slowed enough. "We won't be able to stay hidden for long."
She nodded, her hair sprawled behind her in the water. "Mako? I suggest you hyperventilate."
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Mako followed Aura into an underwater cave. Any good seasman knew never to go too deep into a cave- at least not more than half the distance you can hold your breath for- but she seemed to know where she was going.
His uneasiness grew as it became apparent that this wasn't a cave, but a tunnel. It was difficult to swim in here, because his natural tendency to float meant his body was scraping against the rough roof. He'd passed the point of no return long ago- that seasman's term to describe the point at which he wouldn't be able to make it out in time. If there wasn't an opening up ahead, he was doomed. But he trusted Aura- she wouldn't lead him into something that would mean her certain death as well.
Abruptly, the rock above his back disappeared. Almost without meaning to, he bobbed upward, where he broke the surface of the water and took in a great gulp of air before it hit him- He hadn't seen the approaching light that would mean they were out of the dark tunnel.
Rather, they had emerged into a cave. On second glance, there was a meager amount of light, enough to see the walls and the shadowy outline of Aura, treading water next to him. It was coming through from slight cracks in the naturally-formed ceiling, many feet above him.
"Where are we?" he asked, and his voice echoed a thousand times over in the cavern. He cringed slightly at the noise.
"A cave," she answered, her voice slightly teasing. It was rather obvious. "There's a narrow passage off to that side-" she pointed away from Mako- "We can get out that way and make it into a local lake. This area is unusual; it's a huge patch of swamp in the desert."
"I passed through the outskirts on my way here," Mako commented, glancing around. His vision was adjusting better.
"You probably did," she agreed. "It forms a border to a good two-thirds of the village. It looks like a good place to go when you don't want to be found, don't you think?"
"Yes," he nodded, and then her meaning became clear. "You think I should hide out there until the threat of the Rare Hunters is passed?"
"I think we should hide out there," Aura corrected. "After all, they saw me, didn't they? I'm pretty sure they won't forget my face for a while."
Mako's heart stilled as he realized what he'd just done. "I'm sorry," he said after a pause. "I never meant to drag you into this. I never- I never thought I'd get dragged into this. But it's my fault that you're now on their hit list."
He thought he saw Aura wince slightly, but her voice was steady. "I doubt it's your fault," she said calmly. "Later, you can tell me exactly why they were after you. But for now, let's just try to make it to the swamp. Maybe they'll assume we drowned in the ocean."
"Okay," he answered, beginning to swim. It was light enough now that he could see the opening, one shade of grey on a darker one.
"Hold on, just a sec," Aura called softly. "I should warn you…"
"What?" he asked, turning.
"Snakes live along those walls," she said grimly. "I'd steer clear of them if I were you. Most breeds are harmless, but…"
"Water moccasins?" Mako asked.
She nodded, confirming his fears.
"I knew someone who was bitten by a water moccasin," Mako remembered. "Nasty bite. It would have hospitalized him for three days… but we were on an island in the open sea."
"What happened to him?" Aura asked in alarm.
"He was forced into bed for a week and hospitalized for another week as soon as we got on land. Don't worry," he added humorlessly. "I'll avoid the snakes. Will you be okay?"
"Yes," she said determinedly. "Let's swim."
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Notes: ::cowers:: Okay, so I have a thing for snakes. And I have a thing for not knowing where snakes live. Or rather, even if I do know, I'll put them in the wrong habitat. But I have the perfect excuse- this is an AU! Ha! So there! When Marik and Bakura took over the world, the snakes migrated!
::getting bitten by cranky snakes:: All right, all right… At least I fixed Sakakku…
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Important note: School is going to be an absolute nightmare. To give myself time to adjust, and to give myself time to outline the next few chapters, I've put two stories on hold: Umi and Sakakku. This is temporary and will only last a month. I should update regularly again starting October 1.