Yoh peered in to the murky blackness of the cell. He pushed the door closed in case the owner of the house walked past again. It wouldn't be good if he were caught breaking and entering.
There was a faint noise from the depths of the room; it sounded like the collision of metal on stone.
"Who's there?" He asked tentatively, unable to keep his voice from shaking somewhat.
"Yoh?" A hoarse voice came from the darkness. Though Yoh did not recognise it, a niggling feeling deep down inside him told him that he knew its owner.
"Who is it?" He asked again, venturing further into the dungeon. There was a sound that could either have been a chuckle or a sob.
"Yoh, it's me..."
As Yoh took another step forward, a figure slumped against the wall came into view, illuminated by the half-light of the moon. Yoh's eyes widened in shock and he straightened up slightly and gave a cry, as though he had been struck in the face.
"Amidamaru?"
It was indeed Amidamaru, though apart from the familiar hair and clothing, Yoh could hardly recognise him. The young shaman sprinted over to his friend, instantly dropping to his knees by the samurai's side.
"What – what happened?"
Yoh placed his hands over Amidamaru's and almost gasped out loud. It wasn't the fact that his friend's hands were stone cold, but that they were solid!
"You're... you're solid! What's going on?"
Asakura slid his hands from Amidamaru's hands up the samurai's arms. The wrist guards were gone and in their place were heavy iron shackles with lengths of chain securing Amidamaru to the wall.
"You're chained!"
"Yoh..." The samurai's voice was almost a whisper, as though it hurt him to speak. "You came for me...
"I wouldn't just leave you, mate, you know that!"
And, for the first time in almost 24 hours, Amidamaru smiled. He shifted sideways a little to get comfortable and his face was thrown into sharp relief by the moonlight. Yoh clapped a hand over his mouth.
His friend's face was not carefree and youthful as he remembered it. There was blood crusted on his brow, with a blood track down one cheek where it had overflowed. His cheeks, once smooth and handsome, were roughened with stubble and sunken. There were fatigue bags under his eyes.
Yoh looked him over fully. The soft material of his robes was torn in several places and he looked thin, worn and emaciated.
"Oh, Amidamaru..." He murmured, stroking the samurai's hair comfortingly. "What have they done to you?"
There was a quiet exclamation from Amidamaru. Yoh frowned and gingerly started examining his friend's head, withdrawing when he heard the other's inhalation of breath and felt him flinch.
There was something on his hand, hot and slightly sticky. Yoh cautiously brought it up to his nose and sniffed it.
"Blood!" He gasped. "Amidamaru, you're hurt! What happened?"
"I... hit my head against the wall accidentally..." Amidmaru replied, a little too quickly. Yoh raised an eyebrow.
"Rocks bruise and that's a pretty nasty cut there."
"It was a sharp rock."
Yoh gave up. There was a hoarse, grating sound and it took him a little while to realise that Amidamaru was crying.
"Oh, Yoh... I was so worried... I thought..." the samurai sobbed into Yoh's jacket. Yoh, who hadn't been in a situation like this before, was by no means sure of himself, or what to do. He gently pulled the pale-haired man into a hug, patting his back soothingly.
Amidamaru suddenly arched his back, screaming in pain. Yoh drew away fearfully as the other man writhed and bent double, panting. The young shaman saw, quite clearly, through rips in the soft material, several red weals and some large purple bruises. Some areas of the skin were mangled, torn and bloody.
Rocks never did that, Yoh thought to himself.
Amidamaru looked up, a single tear making its lonesome way down his cheek.
"I'm so sorry..." Yoh began. The samurai managed a strained smile, which looked as though it was taking a lot of effort.
"It – doesn't matter. You didn't know..." He grunted
"So..." Yoh swallowed. "Care to tell me what really did hurt you?"
Amidamaru looked down at the floor as though ashamed.
"I was telling the truth about the rock hitting my head." He began quietly. "But I guess I can't hide the fact that rocks didn't do everything else...?"
"Unless rocks are staging a mass takeover and chained you to the wall and made you solid?" Yoh said jokingly, but his heart was heavy on the inside. Amidamaru managed a weak smile.
"No. It was –"
He broke off suddenly, looking fearfully at the door, which was swinging slowly open. Both he and Yoh froze as the silhouette of the tall man began to appear in the light of the doorway.
There was a curse as the ringing of a distant telephone went off and the man disappeared, slamming the door behind him. Amidamaru turned a worried face towards Yoh.
"Yoh, please tell me you didn't come alone..." He begged. Yoh smiled apologetically.
"Um... I didn't come alone?" He said.
"You came alone, didn't you?"
"Yeah..." Yoh looked round hesitantly. The panic in his friend's voice was beginning to unnerve him. "That's not a good thing, is it?"
"No." Amidamaru sighed. "Definitely not."
The footsteps returned again. Amidamaru tensed.
"Quick!" He hissed. "Under my cloak!" He indicated the voluminous white cloak that covered his black robes.
Yoh scurried underneath just in time; the heavy iron door swung open and the voodoo strode into the cell, holding a leather collar and leash in one hand and swishing the riding crop with the other. Though Yoh could not see who had just entered, he could feel Amidamaru's trembling. The young shaman gently stoked the samurai's back through his robes to calm him down a little.
A cold sweat had broken out on Amidamaru's forehead and he tried to flinch away as the sinister man's mouth nibbled the soft skin of his earlobe. The samurai closed his eyes, imagining himself to be anywhere but where he was. The movements of Yoh's hands across his lower back was only a small comfort with his tormentor's hot breath rasping in his ear.
The cold, cruel lips moved down Amidamaru's jaw line, nibbling his lower lip and then brushing against the samurai's mouth. Amidamaru cringed away. Yoh's hand had stopped rubbing his back and he knew, somewhere in the subconscious of his mind, that his friend was watching. Please, Yoh... don't watch... I don't want you to watch... I don't want you to see this... please don't watch...
There was a small intake of breath from Yoh as the voodoo moved down to Amidamaru's shoulder, biting the samurai just below the back of the neck. Amidamaru whimpered uncomfortably, his eyes screwed shut.
Yoh watched the stranger teasing and torturing his friend and felt a hot rage bubbling up inside him. His eyes followed the progress of the bites, which were leaving a trail of red marks down Amidamaru's bare chest. Every time a new place was bitten, a small cry would emit from Amidamaru. Yoh was both angry and upset. Why couldn't they just leave his friend alone?
The dark man drew away, raising his right arm. Yoh's eyes followed the progress of the whip right until it lashed across Amidamaru's exposed flesh. The samurai yelped and, with a sickening knotted feeling in his stomach, Yoh realised he knew where the wounds on Amidamaru's back had come from.
Before he knew what he was doing, he had flung himself free of the samurai's cloak, snarling and panting.
"Leave him alone!" He screamed at the man, who had straightened up in shock. There were tears of anger and feeling for Amidamaru's pain in the young shaman's eyes. "Just leave him alone!"
There was a faint noise from the depths of the room; it sounded like the collision of metal on stone.
"Who's there?" He asked tentatively, unable to keep his voice from shaking somewhat.
"Yoh?" A hoarse voice came from the darkness. Though Yoh did not recognise it, a niggling feeling deep down inside him told him that he knew its owner.
"Who is it?" He asked again, venturing further into the dungeon. There was a sound that could either have been a chuckle or a sob.
"Yoh, it's me..."
As Yoh took another step forward, a figure slumped against the wall came into view, illuminated by the half-light of the moon. Yoh's eyes widened in shock and he straightened up slightly and gave a cry, as though he had been struck in the face.
"Amidamaru?"
It was indeed Amidamaru, though apart from the familiar hair and clothing, Yoh could hardly recognise him. The young shaman sprinted over to his friend, instantly dropping to his knees by the samurai's side.
"What – what happened?"
Yoh placed his hands over Amidamaru's and almost gasped out loud. It wasn't the fact that his friend's hands were stone cold, but that they were solid!
"You're... you're solid! What's going on?"
Asakura slid his hands from Amidamaru's hands up the samurai's arms. The wrist guards were gone and in their place were heavy iron shackles with lengths of chain securing Amidamaru to the wall.
"You're chained!"
"Yoh..." The samurai's voice was almost a whisper, as though it hurt him to speak. "You came for me...
"I wouldn't just leave you, mate, you know that!"
And, for the first time in almost 24 hours, Amidamaru smiled. He shifted sideways a little to get comfortable and his face was thrown into sharp relief by the moonlight. Yoh clapped a hand over his mouth.
His friend's face was not carefree and youthful as he remembered it. There was blood crusted on his brow, with a blood track down one cheek where it had overflowed. His cheeks, once smooth and handsome, were roughened with stubble and sunken. There were fatigue bags under his eyes.
Yoh looked him over fully. The soft material of his robes was torn in several places and he looked thin, worn and emaciated.
"Oh, Amidamaru..." He murmured, stroking the samurai's hair comfortingly. "What have they done to you?"
There was a quiet exclamation from Amidamaru. Yoh frowned and gingerly started examining his friend's head, withdrawing when he heard the other's inhalation of breath and felt him flinch.
There was something on his hand, hot and slightly sticky. Yoh cautiously brought it up to his nose and sniffed it.
"Blood!" He gasped. "Amidamaru, you're hurt! What happened?"
"I... hit my head against the wall accidentally..." Amidmaru replied, a little too quickly. Yoh raised an eyebrow.
"Rocks bruise and that's a pretty nasty cut there."
"It was a sharp rock."
Yoh gave up. There was a hoarse, grating sound and it took him a little while to realise that Amidamaru was crying.
"Oh, Yoh... I was so worried... I thought..." the samurai sobbed into Yoh's jacket. Yoh, who hadn't been in a situation like this before, was by no means sure of himself, or what to do. He gently pulled the pale-haired man into a hug, patting his back soothingly.
Amidamaru suddenly arched his back, screaming in pain. Yoh drew away fearfully as the other man writhed and bent double, panting. The young shaman saw, quite clearly, through rips in the soft material, several red weals and some large purple bruises. Some areas of the skin were mangled, torn and bloody.
Rocks never did that, Yoh thought to himself.
Amidamaru looked up, a single tear making its lonesome way down his cheek.
"I'm so sorry..." Yoh began. The samurai managed a strained smile, which looked as though it was taking a lot of effort.
"It – doesn't matter. You didn't know..." He grunted
"So..." Yoh swallowed. "Care to tell me what really did hurt you?"
Amidamaru looked down at the floor as though ashamed.
"I was telling the truth about the rock hitting my head." He began quietly. "But I guess I can't hide the fact that rocks didn't do everything else...?"
"Unless rocks are staging a mass takeover and chained you to the wall and made you solid?" Yoh said jokingly, but his heart was heavy on the inside. Amidamaru managed a weak smile.
"No. It was –"
He broke off suddenly, looking fearfully at the door, which was swinging slowly open. Both he and Yoh froze as the silhouette of the tall man began to appear in the light of the doorway.
There was a curse as the ringing of a distant telephone went off and the man disappeared, slamming the door behind him. Amidamaru turned a worried face towards Yoh.
"Yoh, please tell me you didn't come alone..." He begged. Yoh smiled apologetically.
"Um... I didn't come alone?" He said.
"You came alone, didn't you?"
"Yeah..." Yoh looked round hesitantly. The panic in his friend's voice was beginning to unnerve him. "That's not a good thing, is it?"
"No." Amidamaru sighed. "Definitely not."
The footsteps returned again. Amidamaru tensed.
"Quick!" He hissed. "Under my cloak!" He indicated the voluminous white cloak that covered his black robes.
Yoh scurried underneath just in time; the heavy iron door swung open and the voodoo strode into the cell, holding a leather collar and leash in one hand and swishing the riding crop with the other. Though Yoh could not see who had just entered, he could feel Amidamaru's trembling. The young shaman gently stoked the samurai's back through his robes to calm him down a little.
A cold sweat had broken out on Amidamaru's forehead and he tried to flinch away as the sinister man's mouth nibbled the soft skin of his earlobe. The samurai closed his eyes, imagining himself to be anywhere but where he was. The movements of Yoh's hands across his lower back was only a small comfort with his tormentor's hot breath rasping in his ear.
The cold, cruel lips moved down Amidamaru's jaw line, nibbling his lower lip and then brushing against the samurai's mouth. Amidamaru cringed away. Yoh's hand had stopped rubbing his back and he knew, somewhere in the subconscious of his mind, that his friend was watching. Please, Yoh... don't watch... I don't want you to watch... I don't want you to see this... please don't watch...
There was a small intake of breath from Yoh as the voodoo moved down to Amidamaru's shoulder, biting the samurai just below the back of the neck. Amidamaru whimpered uncomfortably, his eyes screwed shut.
Yoh watched the stranger teasing and torturing his friend and felt a hot rage bubbling up inside him. His eyes followed the progress of the bites, which were leaving a trail of red marks down Amidamaru's bare chest. Every time a new place was bitten, a small cry would emit from Amidamaru. Yoh was both angry and upset. Why couldn't they just leave his friend alone?
The dark man drew away, raising his right arm. Yoh's eyes followed the progress of the whip right until it lashed across Amidamaru's exposed flesh. The samurai yelped and, with a sickening knotted feeling in his stomach, Yoh realised he knew where the wounds on Amidamaru's back had come from.
Before he knew what he was doing, he had flung himself free of the samurai's cloak, snarling and panting.
"Leave him alone!" He screamed at the man, who had straightened up in shock. There were tears of anger and feeling for Amidamaru's pain in the young shaman's eyes. "Just leave him alone!"