I don't own Yugioh.
Chapter 45
"Hey, Seto."
"Huh?"
"Where are we?"
"I have no idea."
Jou, Seto, and Malik were trudging up a hill, their sneakers crunching on the dead grass.
"I'm just glad we got out of that place," Malik sighed, looking around, "Not that the scenery is any different here…"
"Dark, dreary…," Seto started.
"At least we ain't in a prison," Jou commented.
"Don't jinx us, Jou," Seto stated.
It got quiet again as they walked.
"What was that noise?" Jou gulped, looking around.
"What noise?"
"…that one! Right there!" Jou moved closer to the group.
"I don't hear anything…"
"I s-see something," Malik grabbed Jou's pant leg, "Something is m-moving in the bushes over th-there!" He pointed to the dying plants in the forest they were walking through.
Jou gave a startled yelp and then raised his fists, "C-come out! I'm warning you…!"
Seto got into a fighting stance as well, stepping in front of Jou.
A pair of large, blue eyes looked at them, and with a 'coo' noise, a brown and furry creature hopped out.
The three blinked.
"I don't…believe it…," Malik whispered in awe. "A Kuribo…"
"And here I thought everything around her was dead…," Jou looked at it.
"They are," Seto eyed the creature, "Look at it. It's worn. Its fur is missing in some patches, and it looks like it's been through many fights."
Malik gulped, then looked resolute and walked towards it.
"Oi…!" Jou stammered, "Don't go near it…!"
Seto put a restraining hand on Malik's shoulder, "He's right. It's quite odd that it would be out here in the middle of nowhere when everything around it is dead. Think about it…we haven't seen any other creature, bug, or sign of life since we've arrived. Someone had to be taking care of this creature, and if someone was, then its owner must be around here somewhere."
Jou looked around, keeping his fists raised.
Seto eyed the area.
The Kuribo looked at them, cooed, and then jumped into the bushes.
"Matte!" Malik shouted, pulling out of the hold and following.
"Oi! Yamero!" Jou ran after him.
"Che…!" Seto swore, and followed.
They ran through the dying woods, jumping over rotting logs and getting a bit scraped up by sharp branches.
"Malik! Stop!" Jou shouted, wincing as another bush cut his face.
"I think it's trying to tell us something!" Malik shouted from up ahead, "I just got a feeling that we should follow it!"
"Its probably leading us to its master!" Seto called.
"I know!" Malik nodded, "Maybe we can find out what's going on if we meet another person!"
"He's got a point…," Seto mused.
"There has to be another way besides running through the woods like madmen!" Jou complained.
Just then, the forest opened up into a small clearing, and Malik tripped over a tree root, falling down into the grass. He opened his eyes when he realized that it was actually soft, meaning that it wasn't dead. He gave a yelp as Jou tripped over the same root and landed on top of him, and Seto collided with Jou from the sudden halt and fell down as well.
"Ow!" Jou complained, "Seto, get offa me!"
"All of you get off of me!" Malik complained, "You guys aren't light!"
Seto pushed himself up, "I wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't, baka."
"Who are you calling a baka, baka!?" Jou shot back, standing up.
"You!"
"Why you…!"
"Ne," Malik interrupted, sitting on his knees on the ground, looking ahead, "Look."
The two stopped their argument, and blinked.
"Now that's weird," Jou looked around, "Everything in this small little area is alive…"
"Everything around that cabin there," Seto started forward.
The little Kuribo was sitting by the front door, watching them.
Jou helped Malik up, "You okay?"
"A few scrapes, but I'll be fine," Malik nodded.
"You ain't the scared kid I thought you was," Jou grinned as they followed Seto, "No offense…"
"None taken," Malik shook his head, "I was scared then…but that was because I didn't know what was going on. Once Isis-neesan explained it to me, I understood."
"Sounds logical to me," Jou grinned.
Seto froze suddenly, and the two nearly bumped into him.
"What's the hold up, Seto?" Jou asked.
"Down!" Seto grabbed the two and pulled them behind a hedge of alive bushes.
"What…!?"
"Shh!" Seto indicated towards the house.
The door opened, and the Kuribo cooed at the hand that reached out. They couldn't see clearly as the gloved hand beckoned the creature back inside, but there was definitely someone in there. The Kuribo looked in their direction one more time.
Jou shook his head furiously.
"Stop that!" Seto stilled the boy.
They listened as a tired, male voice spoke to the creature.
"What is it, Chip? Did you see something?"
Jou and Seto exchanged looks.
"What the hell's he saying?" Jou hissed.
"Got me," Seto replied.
"He's asking the Kuribo, Chip, if it saw anything," Malik translated.
"You understand that gibberish, Malik?" Jou blinked.
"That 'gibberish' happens to be the true language of Gaia," Malik glared at the older boy.
"Gomen…," Jou scratched the back of his head.
"Though, most people of Gaia are familiar in Gaian and English," Malik whispered back as the bandaged hand stroked the straggled fur of the Kuribo, "Though, they call it 'Earthian' instead of 'English'."
"They don't know Japanese?" Jou gulped.
"No," Malik shook his head.
"How come you and Isis know it?" Jou asked.
"We grew up in Japan," Malik responded, "Of course we would learn the language."
"Quiet!" Seto hushed them, "We don't want to be spotted!"
They nodded and observed some more.
"You think that Kuribo will rat on us…?"
"Shut up, Jou!"
The gloved hand withdrew, and went back into the house. The little Kuribo entered, and the door closed.
The three blew out their breaths in relief.
Jou sighed and stood up, "Ah…it's just some old hermit. We shouldn't stay."
"I agree," Seto stood up as well, "We need to find everyone else."
Malik cast one last glance at the hut, and then also rose.
They were heading back, making their way through the dead forest again, when suddenly, a black void appeared in front of them.
"What the hell…?!" Jou exclaimed.
"Masaka!" Malik gasped, "The Shadow Realm…!?"
"No way! Yami sealed that!" Jou gulped.
"Who cares what it is!" Seto stated, "Turn and run!"
They spun around and started to run.
"Don't look back now…," Jou gulped when he glanced back, "But there's a huge monster chase'n us!"
"Keep your eyes forward!" Seto, who was in front, shouted.
"Augh!" Malik cried out as he tripped over a dead log and landed on the ground.
"Malik!?" Jou skidded to a halt.
Malik spun around, facing the creature. His mouth moved, but no sound came out as tears ran down his face. He threw his arms in front of his face and squeezed his eyes shut, giving off a scream as the monster slashed at him with its claws.
"No you don't!" Jou shouted, running in and bringing a stick he had found down on the red monster's claw hand. The stick shattered, and the splinters went into the monster, who roared in pain and swatted Jou back into the ground.
"Jou!?" Seto ran over. He propped the boy up, "Hang in there…!" His eyes widened when he saw the three slash marks in Jou's chest that were gathering blood and staining into his shirt.
Jou winced and coughed, wrapping an arm around the wounds in pain.
Malik whimpered and stumbled over, falling down and then crawling over to where the three sat.
The creature swung at them.
"I hope this works…," Seto whispered, then concentrated and looked up, "BARRIER!"
They were surrounded by a transparent yellow shield that blocked the monster and sent it stumbling back. The barrier, however, shattered.
Seto slumped a bit, breathing hard. "Damn…"
"When did you learn that?" Malik asked.
"When Sugoroku taught some of us the basics of magic," Seto rasped, then coughed once again, "…really takes something out of you…"
"It's coming back!" Malik exclaimed.
The creature lumbered up to them.
"Chikushou…!" Seto swore, "I can't do anything else!"
"Damn…," Jou swore weakly, "We're…done for…"
Just as the monster was about to descend upon them, a strong, male voice seemed to echo through the woods.
"Demon Summon! Lightening attack!"
Streams of blue lightening shot out from behind them and poured full-force into the monster. The monster let out an agonizing scream before crumbling to dust, smoking a bit.
Seto, Jou, and Malik looked behind them.
Standing there was a man of average size. Around him billowed a brown cloak, hiding all but his face and the last few inches of his legs and feet. He had on some sort of dark green pants and beige colored boots. His black, spiky hair went untamed as it went halfway down his back. Hardened violet eyes looked out at the three kids. Scars ran down his face on his left side, and evidence of burn scars were also apparent. At his side was the scruffy Kuribo. The creature cooed.
The lean man bent down and patted the little creature. He was obviously wearing some sort of long sleeved, navy blue tunic underneath, and also had on a pair of black gloves that were cut off at the fingertips, allowing them to see only the tips of his fingers.
"Thank you," Seto started.
"It's dangerous here," the man said, his voice hard as his mouth moved under the beard he had, "You kids shouldn't be around this area."
"We was looking for our friends…," Jou said weakly, then winced.
"Can you help us once again, please? Our friend is hurt," Seto pointed out.
The man eyed them, then closed his eyes and turned to leave, "It's not serious. You have a pack on. Just bandage him up."
"Bastard!" Seto growled, "Can't you give us a hand?!" He gave Jou's hand a gentle squeeze when he felt the boy tense up in pain.
"I saved your lives. I think that's enough," the man started to walk away. He halted when a pitiful 'coo' sounded. "Let's go, Chip."
The Kuribo cooed again, and hopped over to Jou. It looked at the wound, then back up at its owner and cooed pitifully again.
The man clenched a hand into a fist, then relaxed. He turned around and walked over to them.
Seto positioned himself protectively in front of Jou and Malik.
"Relax, boy," the man bent down, "You can come back to my hut. I'll treat your friend there, and maybe you can tell me why you three kids are all the way over here. Not to mention why you are even on this land of the dead. It's not that serious…help your friend up, boy."
Seto growled, but scooped Jou up, eliciting a low moan from the blond boy.
"Hang in there, Jou," Seto whispered, his tone gentle now.
Jou leaned his head against Seto's chest, closing his eyes.
Malik stood up but stayed close to Seto.
"Follow me," the man stated, and started off.
Seto noticed that the man walked with a heavy limp, and noticed the gnarled wooden cane the man carried for the first time that he used to help himself walk. It was his right leg that was injured, Seto could tell, by the way so little pressure was put on it. He shook his head and followed the stranger.
"So…you boys are here to help your friend and save Gaia?" the man asked as he handed Jou a steaming cup of something that appeared to be tea.
Jou, who was laying on a soft, red couch with his wounds bandaged looked at it dubiously.
"It has a medicinal herb," the man replied, "Drink it. If I wanted you dead, I would have let the monster kill you." He turned to Malik and finished bandaging the boy's ankle.
Jou sipped at the drink, and blinked when he realized that it tasted very good. "This is nothing like tea on Earth…"
"So that's where you boys are from," the man grunted, patching up Malik's scrapes and cuts, "No wonder why you were no match for the monster. The people of Earth aren't as magically attuned as the people of Gaia."
"You seem to know a lot about Earth," Seto spoke up from where he sat on one of the chairs.
"Most people of Gaia know some things of the world," the man responded, "Like, for instance, that it is a parallel world to Gaia." He shook his head, "You kids sure did a number on yourselves, running through that dead forest."
Malik winced as a bandage was placed on a cut on his face.
"There," the man limped over to an armchair and sat down in it.
"Thanks for helping us," Jou spoke, putting the empty cup down on the small table near him.
The man waved a hand, "If it weren't for Chip, I wouldn't have. The little guy's taken a liking to you strangers. Why, I don't know. He usually isn't this friendly towards people he don't know."
Jou glanced down at the Kuribo that was comfortably settled on his lap.
"I'm surprised he's not a card," Seto stated.
"He's the only one," the man responded, "Chip isn't a card cause I've had him since I was little. They don't look like much, but a Kuribo can live for over one hundred years. I used my powers to protect him, but I was unable to protect anyone else. For that, I shun myself. I am a failure."
Seto blinked, "So the others were sealed into cards…?"
"Because they had the power to stop the evil spreading over the land," the man sighed, leaning back, "And others were sealed when their energy was spent. Myself and a few others sealed them away into cards so that they could recover their strength and one day return to Gaia to save the planet. But it looks like we were wrong. We were going on a prophecy that someone would save us. But it has been years, and still nobody has come to save us."
"Save you from who?" Malik asked.
"The group 'Kurayami'. They use the dark powers of the Shadow Realm, and have already almost taken over Gaia. If they take over Gaia, then they will move on to Earth, and everyone's soul will belong to them. The people will become soulless husks with no will of their own."
"Horrible…," Seto whispered.
"The only thing keeping them from doing so is a meager band of warriors and sorcerers who live in the underground caverns," the man sighed.
"But you're powerful," Malik interrupted, "Why don't you help them!? You can summon the monsters from the cards! You have the power to do that…!"
"Don't be ridiculous, boy," the man closed his eyes, crossing his arms, "Just look at me. I'm not even half of what I used to be. I'm lame, and a failure. To the others, I am dead. I have no power against the evil."
"That's not true!" Malik jumped up, his hands in fists, "That's not true! I saw what you did to that monster! That monster had a high attack, and you beat it! If you joined the fight, you could turn the tide! Drive out the Kurayami group!"
"You're just a kid," the man shook his head, "You don't know anything. I am too lame to be of any help. I would only get in their way. I wouldn't make one bit of a difference."
"No!" Malik shook his head, "You could! If they have to fight monsters, and they can't summon, then they need all the help they can get! If you tell yourself you can do it, then you can!"
"Give up, boy," the man replied sadly, "I have nothing to offer them. And at this stage in the fight, it won't do any good."
"If ya tell yourself you've lost before you even try," Jou spoke up, "Then there's no way you can do it."
"You have a defeatist attitude," Seto agreed, "They need your help. You have the power."
"There is nothing left for me. Nothing to fight for," the man shook his head. "My wife and son are gone. I have nothing left."
"You have this world!" Malik protested.
"What would be the point in living in a world where everyone I know is dead?" the man shot back.
"That's selfish," Seto stood up, "So you'll just let everyone else die?! Everyone else has to suffer and lose loved ones because you've already lost yours?! Damn it, wake up! If I acted like that, then I wouldn't care about anyone else except for my little brother! My parents died when I was young, and I have no family except for my younger brother! None! But I still help people out, and I'm still willing to fight for the other people of Earth and Gaia!"
"Me too!" Jou agreed, "I'm gonna fight!"
"So will I!" Malik stated, "That's what we came here to do!"
"And we're not even from this place!" Seto reminded him.
"It doesn't matter what you say," the man said, but it was a little quieter then his first argument.
"Che," Seto swore, sitting back down, "If you're going to give up, then give up. As soon as Jou's wounds get better, we're going to look for our friends so we can save this planet."
"What good will that do?" the man asked, "You don't have enough magical powers."
"We don't," Jou agreed, "But we've got friends who do! They came with us, and they're gonna fight…that's for sure!"
"At least take us to this underground force," Malik asked, "Please?"
"I've done enough…"
"You say that, yet you just sit here and wait for the world to end when you have the power to do something about it," Seto's eyes flashed angrily again. "We appreciate you saving us and tending to our scrapes and Jou's wounds, but there is much more you can do!"
"Before it's too late," Malik whispered. He got a determined look, "I'm just a kid, but I'm going to fight. Neesan said that our father was a proud warrior of Gaia. And I won't let him down!"
The man eyed the boy as if noticing him for the first time. "What's your name, boy?"
"Ishtar, Malik!"
The man's eyes widened, "Ishtar……I know that name." The man was on his feet now, staring wide-eyed at the small boy, "I know that name! So I'm looking at Yokan's son, now, am I? Well I'll be damned…this was the boy he talked about. Tell me, Malik, do you have a sister named Isis?"
"Yes!" Malik nodded.
"It really is Yokan's son," the man whispered, shaking his head, "In that case, I will help you. I know your father is fighting in the underground movement."
Malik brightened up, "Really!? My father is alive?! And you'll show me to him?"
The man nodded, then turned to the other two kids, "What are your names?"
"Jounochi, Katsuya. But everyone just calls me 'Jou'."
"Kaiba, Seto."
The man nodded, "And my name is Shinbu Motou."
The three gaped at him.
"You're Yugi's father!" Jou exclaimed, sitting up with a big grin on his face, "Hey, we found Yug's dad! He's alive! Yug's gonna be so happy, man!" He hugged Seto, who was standing next to him, in joy.
"Yea," Seto smiled, breaking the hold, tears in his own eyes.
Shinbu looked at them, "My son…? Tenko?!"
"Yea," Seto nodded, "But we call him 'Yugi'. It's his Earth name. We came here with him to find you and the others and save this place."
Shinbu fell to his knees, tears running down his face but a smile on his lips, "My boy is alive…he's alive…I haven't lost him!" He wiped his eyes and stood up, "Very well! I will fight!"
"It's about time!" Seto grinned.
"Let me get cleaned up," Shinbu pointed to his mane of hair, "And we'll be off tomorrow."
"YEA!"
Morning came, and they all stood ready. Shinbu had supplied them with some new clothing, weapons, and armor.
Seto wore a sorcerer's shoulder protectors and cloak over a dark blue long sleeve tunic and dark pants with dark brown boots. He flexed his hands and grinned. On his hands he wore what seemed to be dark gloves, but didn't even cover the fingers. On the top of each was a small, red gem that was supposed to amplify his magical powers.
Jou wore a cream colored long sleeve tunic with khaki pants and brown boots. He had on beige gloves that stopped at the last joint to allow his fingertips to be free. He wore a light weight, leather chest armor that also covered his left shoulder. He wore a belt around his waist, and hanging from it at his left side was a broadsword that was just the right fit for him.
Malik wore a white long sleeve tunic with light brown pants and brown boots. Strapped to his back was a silver staff with a green gem at the top that also amplified and granted magical power to the user.
Shinbu's appearance also changed. His hair was cut and spiky, with only one or two bangs of black hair falling into his face while the rest of it stuck into the air. He shaved the beard off, revealing another scar on his chin. He wore the same outfit he did when he saved the group, though. Chip the Kuribo was groomed by Jou and Shinbu and looked as healthy and good as new. It sat on Shinbu's shoulder, waiting in anticipation.
"Everyone ready?" Shinbu asked.
They nodded.
"Let's go."
TO BE CONTINUED…
Japanese – English
Matte – Wait
Oi – Hey
Yamero – Stop it
Che – (a nonsense word that is used almost as a curse word. I have seen it translated in two ways: The first being 'man!', and the second one being 'damn!')