Sakakku
x
x
x
Chapter 14
xXx
Yami led the other three into a village. A slight tingling on his neck warned him to be cautious, but he put it aside. It was more important for Yugi and Serenity to drink; they'd run out of water a few hours ago.
Mai, for her part, seemed to be holding up well. She furrowed her brow as they entered the village, but said nothing. He wondered if she sensed what he did. He thought there might be powerful magic here, but he couldn't imagine what for.
"It's cold," Serenity said abruptly.
"I'm not chilly," Yugi said lightly, but Yami slowed down. In the absence of one of the senses- sight, for example; the others grew sharper.
"You're cold?" he inquired. Mai, who had been living with Serenity and knew to trust her, looked around cautiously.
"It's… it's nothing," Serenity said, blushing.
"Hmm…" Yami said, deciding not to press the matter. He put his hand on Yugi's shoulder protectively and the four of them walked slowly into the village.
They had approached from the north. From the east, a lone boy stumbled into sight of the village not fifteen minutes after they entered. He rubbed his face tiredly; he'd just made it away from a storm that had seemingly consumed one of his companions. He was lost and had no water. He had a little food but it wouldn't do him much good. The village was his only hope.
So Duke Devlin entered.
xXx
Tristan didn't like the looks of the village. He and Espa had been here a full day; he was unused to exercise. Although he'd been in good shape a year ago, and although Espa had recently been forced to walk a lot, the both of them were still just adjusting to the long trek across the desert. They'd come to this village in the dark last night and slept and rested in this deserted building the whole twenty-four hours. It was the next morning.
Espa had dozed off again, and Tristan decided to go outside. He doubted anyone would recognize him.
Emerging into the bright sunlight, he blinked a few times rapidly. The streets were nearly empty, except for a few Rare Hunters, who he supposed were the village guards.
It was only after he walked down two streets that he noticed there was a disproportionately high number of Rare Hunters. In fact… he gulped. He hadn't seen any civilians. And he was attracting a few strange looks.
Well, wasn't this beautiful. He and Espa had chosen to make camp in one of the Rare Hunter centers. One of the villages dedicated mainly to providing home for Rare Hunters off duty. If they made it out alive, it'd be a miracle.
xXx
"What is it?" Serenity whispered. She couldn't see anything, and Yami and Yugi and Mai weren't talking, but she could sense that something was wrong. Yugi and Mai both clenched her hands tightly, and she was pretty sure that Yugi was shaking slightly. Mai was breathing evenly, but Serenity could tell that it was forced, in hopes that Mai would remain calm.
"This is a Rare Hunter village," Yugi explained to her, moving his head close to her ear so he could speak softly. "One of the places Marik and Bakura provided for all the Rare Hunters to live in."
Serenity swallowed in fear. "Oh no…" she whispered back, forcing her mouth to stop trembling in case any Rare Hunters noticed.
"If we leave now, they'll notice," Mai said as quietly as possible to Yami.
"We're already attracting attention," he agreed. "I suppose they must have occasional travelers passing by or we'd be arrested already."
"Mmm…" Mai murmured. In the silence that followed, Serenity heard a faint whisper. 'Magic around those…'
"Did you hear that?" she gasped in fear.
"No," Yami said with trepidation. "Your hearing is stronger than ours. What did you hear?"
Serenity relayed her message. Yami listened in grim silence.
"The Rare Hunters are focused on magic," he said. "I don't doubt that they sense my Puzzle at a range this close."
"What do we do?" Yugi asked, squeezing Serenity's hand.
"Yugi, take Serenity down that street," Yami said. Serenity supposed he was pointing somewhere. "Hide in the first place you can."
"But what will that do?" Yugi asked again. "You won't be able to come back for us. I think we should just leave as quickly as possible."
"I'll think of something," Yami said tightly. "Perhaps Mai will be able to find you even if I cannot. Either way, we'll meet soon. I promise."
Yugi still hesitated. "You promise?" he asked finally.
"I promise," Yami said again. "Go quickly, Yugi."
The two of them broke away. Yami and Mai continued their path, seemingly unconcerned. Yugi guided Serenity down a side street, noticing immediately that they were attracting fewer glances.
"Serenity, we're going to go in there," Yugi said, turning her shoulders slightly.
"Okay," she responded, walking slowly in the direction. Yugi put a hand on her shoulder before she walked into the door, and he moved forward to slide open the door. It squeaked slightly but she doubted anyone else heard it.
"It's a warehouse," he narrated quietly. "No one's in here. This looks like it's a storage area. There's a lot of food in here. I don't think anyone will notice if I get some for you."
She nodded, and they moved forward. Yugi had her sit, she supposed behind a crate, and he pried open the lid of the crate.
"There's fruit in here!" he said, delighted. "Serenity, there's fruit! Here, try this!" He thrust something soft into her hands, and she carefully took a bite of it.
"It's good!" she said, smiling. "It's really good! I haven't had much fruit lately." She took another bite. "I don't feel bad stealing from the Rare Hunters," she said, with a mixture of thoughtfulness and bitterness. "Besides, they seem to get a lot more fruit than most people do."
"They do," Yugi agreed, sounding depressed. "There's a different kind under these pink things, hold on-" He leaned over the edge of the crate. But over the sounds of his rummaging, Serenity heard another sound. The same sound made when Yugi had opened the door.
"Get down!" she tried to whisper, but it was too late. By the abrupt ceasing of sound, she was pretty sure Yugi and the person who had just opened the door had seen each other. She could only hope that Yugi hadn't pulled down his hood; though it probably wouldn't do him much good even if he hadn't.
"Duke?" Yugi asked in a hushed voice. "It can't be you!"
"Who is that?" A frightened voice came. "I don't mean to get in the way…"
"Duke Devlin!" Yugi exclaimed, beginning to laugh in delight. "You don't recognize me?"
"It's you," Duke whispered. "Yugi??"
"Yes!" Yugi said in delight, hopping down and rushing over to Duke. "Oh Duke I can't believe it! How did you get here? Why are you here? Why did you decide to come in here?? This is great!"
"Yugi…" Duke said, suddenly close to tears. "Yugi, you have no idea how glad I am to see you…"
"About as glad as Serenity and I are to see you?" Yugi joked, hugging him quickly.
"Se-serenity?"
"Yeah!" Yugi said cheerfully, seizing Duke's hand and dragging him over. "Serenity, Duke's here!"
The redhead had already struggled to her feet. "Duke," she said warmly, smiling and holding out her arms. "This is so wonderful!"
"Oh, Serenity," Duke said in delight, hugging her tightly. "I can't believe it. This is amazing."
"It is," Yugi said again. "Why did you come here?"
Duke hesitated. "I was with… Kaiba," he said slowly.
"Kaiba?" Yugi repeated in high astonishment.
"Kaiba," Duke clarified. "We were looking for… Joey, I guess. Anyone."
"Kaiba?" Yugi asked again, unable to believe it.
"Yes," Duke said, grinning faintly. "But we got… separated. In a storm."
"Is he okay?" Yugi asked anxiously.
"I don't know," Duke said seriously. "I made it out alive and headed for this village. I wanted food or water. But I noticed something funny about it. And then there was a commotion in the streets so I figured I'd better hide, and I came in here."
"A commotion in the streets?" Yugi echoed anxiously. "Serenity, you don't think…" his voice trailed off. Serenity was pale. "Duke, do you know what happened?"
When the black-haired boy negatively shook his head, Yugi bit his lip. "Duke, please stay with Serenity?" he requested. "I've just got to find Yami!"
"Find Yami?" Duke repeated, looking partly relieved and partly frightened.
"I'll be back!" was Yugi's only answer. Duke hesitated, sticking his head out the door. Yugi reached the end of the street and rounded the corner, jogging out of sight. Duke pulled the door shut, then turned back to Serenity. She was clutching a half-eaten piece of fruit in her hands, not moving her head.
"Sit down again," he urged with a nervous glance at the door. "Just… in case."
xXx
"Tristan?"
Tristan turned, automatically bringing his fist up, before he registered that Espa Roba had come up behind him. "Oh. Hi."
"Careful," he said, nervously eyeing Tristan's fist. "You okay?"
"Sort of," he said. "I am for now. But I think we'd better leave this village, and fast."
"I know," Espa agreed, laughing tentatively. "Not a great choice, eh?"
"No," Tristan said, taking some of the canteens from Espa. "We can leave now."
"Shortest way out?" Espa asked, looking around.
"Aaah…" Tristan shrugged. The two of them jogged partway down one street, but it looked to be a dead end. There were several deserted buildings. Tristan approached one of them and tugged at the handle; it readily opened.
"Why are you doing that?" Espa asked. He'd already started back down the street.
Tristan shrugged, then saw several Rare Hunters emerge from the side alley next to Espa. His blood froze, and he acted on instinct, diving into the building and behind the door.
He crouched behind it, heart pounding, and pressed his ear to the old wood, listening.
"Who are you?" an unfamiliar voice demanded.
"My name is Espa Roba," Espa responded, sounding remarkably calm. Keeping his head, he added, "I'm employed by Marik and Bakura."
Tristan nodded slowly; it was a smart move.
"You are, are you?" the voice asked suspiciously, but a new voice entered the conversation.
"I recognize the name," it said. "But what are you doing out here, Roba?"
"My brothers and I were separated in a storm," Espa deliberately lied. "I'm lost."
"Ah. Well, there's a caravan going toward the palace," the second voice continued. "You can join that and explain matters to Marik and Bakura. If you're lucky, they won't have time for you and send you on your way."
"If you're not lucky…" the first voice snickered ominously, but the second voice shushed it.
"Well, come on then," the Rare Hunter said. "Roba, I'll take you to the caravan."
"But-" Espa began to protest, but the second Rare Hunter cut him off. "This one is leaving right away. There's a second one, but it's not going to Akuma. Come on."
Tristan dared to peek through the crack; the Rare Hunter had taken Espa's arm and was guiding him away, presumably to the caravan. Espa had the sense not to stare at the building Tristan was in; he seemed to be taking things rather well. Tristan, on the other hand, crouched still, feeling helpless. He had just made up his mind to run after Espa and try to fight the Rare Hunters- there were only two of them; he could take them- when he became aware of heavy breathing. Coming from behind the crates stacked back there. More than one person.
Determinedly, Tristan walked forward. He tried to move softly, but his footsteps seemed to echo. He reached a crate and leaned over the edge.
Sitting on the other side was a girl and a boy. Red hair and black hair. Eyes covered by a bandage, startled green eyes. Serenity Wheeler and Duke Devlin.
Tristan forgot everything; his mind went blank. He didn't think about how glad he was to see Serenity, and he didn't stop to be annoyed that Duke had gotten to her first. He didn't feel bad that Serenity was still blind, and he forgot to be guilty upon seeing Duke. He supposed that what he'd done was no better than running away from home, really, in a rather twisted way.
All he felt was joy. Overwhelming, bubbling joy.
xXx
What luck he possessed, Yami reflected grimly. The Rare Hunters, although glaring suspiciously at him and Mai, had largely ignored them. That is, until one of them recognized the disguiseless Mai from that last duel on the docks.
Rather than fighting this time, they had opted to run. They had at least been recognized when they were nearly on the outskirts of the town, in a deserted area. Yami and Mai, outrunning the clumsy and pale Rare Hunter, had dived in the middle of a group of camels. From there, they'd hurriedly Summoned their two dragons- Curse of Dragon and Harpie's Pet Dragon. Yami also Summoned Celtic Guardian, and Mai chose Amazoness Paladin, to ride on the dragons. They directed their Monsters far away from them, in the hopes that the Rare Hunters would believe they were riding the dragons. So far, it seemed to be working.
The camels began to move. Yami and Mai, shivering with anxiety, followed in the middle. The Rare Hunters accompanying the camels were largely on the outer rim, so they seemed safe. The only problem was, there was no way to break away from the caravan.
Eventually, Yami began leafing through his deck. At this point, they were long out of the village and the sun was beginning to set. Silently, he showed a card to Mai. Her eyes widened, and she nodded.
A mile away from the caravan, a box appeared. It slowly opened on one panel, a third at a time, and a shaken Yami and Mai stepped out.
"Mystic Box," Yami nodded in satisfaction.
"Wow," was all Mai could manage. To hopefully stop the funny spinning sensation in her head, she looked to the sky, and froze.
Three dark shapes were circling overhead. All of a sudden, one of them came spiraling down, and the other two followed. Yami glanced upward nervously, debating whether to fight, but that would be a giveaway for sure. He settled for taking out his deck cautiously.
When the first shape got closer, Yami suddenly recognized it. "That's Yugi!" he exclaimed.
"What?" Mai asked nervously.
"See that?" he pointed at the largest shape. "That's the Red Eyes Black Dragon. Joey's card, yes. He put it in Yugi's care. That must be him."
"Oh." Mai watched Yugi and the Red Eyes swoop closer, until the dragon landed heavily in the sand. With a giggle, Yugi fell off its back, and Yami rushed forward quickly and managed to catch him.
"Thanks, Yami!" he said brightly, rubbing his legs. "Wow, that hurt."
The Red Eyes Black Dragon reared back and stared at Yami impressively. Yami, feeling awkward, inclined his head.
The other two shapes landed nearby; it was Curse of Dragon and Celtic Guardian, and Harpie's Pet Dragon and Amazoness Paladin.
"They're okay?" Mai asked in delight, looking her monsters over carefully.
"Yup," Yugi said cheerfully. "I think they caught the Rare Hunters back in the village off guard. They attacked a couple of people then flew away before they got caught. The Rare Hunters didn't chase them. I think they still thought you guys were back there. I got away from the village and Curse of Dragon carried me partway across the desert, then I got Joey's Red Eyes out and started looking for you two. I don't know how I didn't spot you earlier."
Yami brushed over the half-question; there was a more important issue: "Where's Serenity?"
Yugi bit his lip. "I left her with Duke," he admitted. At Mai's exclamations, he nodded. "He showed up out of nowhere. He told me he heard a 'commotion' and I figured that was you. So I left the two of them and hurried to find you." He looked upset. "I just realized that we can't go back there!"
"What are we going to do?" Mai breathed, automatically turning to Yami.
He thought a minute. "I'll send this card to investigate," he said, reaching into his deck. He pulled out Soul Release.
"Wow, good idea," Yugi said, staring at the beautiful card. "I bet Soul Release can be invisible a lot of the time."
"Yes," Yami agreed.
"What- what does it do?" Mai asked uncertainly.
"In the game, Soul Release is a magic card," Yami explained. He was surprised she hadn't heard of it.
"I know," she responded, answering his unspoken thoughts. "It removes up to five Monster cards in the Graveyard from play. But what would it do here?"
"I'm not sure," Yami admitted. "But see- if you look at her physical form-" he showed Mai the picture on the card- "Soul Release looks like she can become invisible and move on the wind. I think she could slip unnoticed into the village."
"The Hunters wouldn't sense the magic?" Mai asked skeptically.
"Perhaps," Yami conceded. "Perhaps. But I think that's a risk we have to take."
"We have to take an awful lot of risks," Mai grumbled, but without sounding angry. Nodding, Yami concentrated and began the process of Summoning Soul Release from the Shadow Realm.