By Hikaru Hayashi
(I didn't think it would take so long for me to get this up…ack!)
Wow! I mean, like, WOW! So many people reviewed this one! I didn't think anyone else would review this. Thanks a lot!
Antibaseball: I'm so glad you liked my fic. And I'll keep reading yours too! You are a very funny writer, ne? Good job on all of yours!
Jien: I'm happy you liked my fic too. I'm also happy that you were so ecstatic that I spelled Varon's name right (Good! You should be! I hate dubbing). But, you like the JouxVaron couple? Yech! That surprised me quite a bit... (I don't like yaoi all that much…at all…) But, I'm just glad you like it so far.
pearheart: Hey, girl. Thanks for the review. It surprised me that you reviewed this one of all my fics, but thanks a lot anyway!
Disclaimer note: I don't know how many times I've had to say it between this one, and my other five YGO fics! I don't own it!
Chapter 3: Run For Your Life!
Jounouchi was startled by the sudden darkness around him. "Hm? What in the..! What d'heck is goin' on, here? Is there an eclipse or somethin'?"
He swirled around and looked up. An enormously large and buff figure blocked the sun. He had blonde hair and was wearing dark sunglasses.
"Hi," he said.
Jou gasped. "RAPHAEL!" he shouted as he jumped up and stumbled backward.
Raphael cackled evilly. "You never cease to amaze me, Jounouchi Katsuya. I thought you were dead."
"Yeah? Well, ya thought wrong. I won't die so easily!" Jou shouted as he backed up toward a rock that was conveniently sitting on top of a boulder.
"Yeah, I figured." Raphael said casually as he walked towards Jou, kicking Varon out of the way. He chucked softly, yet maniacally as Varon rolled into the stream.
He moaned. "That hurts…" he stammered before going into a fit of coughing.
Jou burned with anger. Awright, that's it! he thought as his fist wrapped around the stone. You don't just hurt a sick person like that! There ain't no way he's getting away wit that one!
"You do realize, however," Raphael began with a smug tone in his voice as he continued towards Jou. "That you can't get very far with that Varon around. He's only slowing you down. You should just fend for yourself and leave him to die; it's every man for himself out here, you know. But, this is the end of the line for you anyway, so…" He pulled his fist back and prepared to deliver a punch.
"Well, I'm a slow learner!" Jou replied. "And you'll find out very quickly that I'm very persistent!" He quickly pulled the rock from behind him and smashed it into Raphael's forehead, knocking him to the ground unconscious.
Wow! Another fluke… Jou thought as he ran to the stream and picked Varon up. We gotta bail the heck outta here before that guy wakes up! Jou dashed off as fast as he could. He heard voices behind him from where they just were. "Aw crap," Jou muttered. "He wasn't alone…his little friends are gonna come after me! I gotta book it!" He picked up the pace until he was pretty much at a sprinting speed.
"There he is…get him…." came a voice from far behind him. Jou heard the voices, but didn't look back. He knew that would only slow him down.
Ah! Stupid punks…why da' heck are they after me? What did I do to deserve this!
Footsteps…running…quite a ways behind him, but he could still hear them…they were catching up fast…
Gotta run…can't let 'em catch me…! Gotta get home fast…Varon's life depends on it! MY life depends on it!
He tried to pick up the pace…but he was getting tired quickly and carrying Varon on his back didn't help the matter much either.
Can't…stop…running…! Why! Why are they after me? I hope I haven't unknowingly pissed off some mega huge crime lord recently…what da' heck do these creeps want wit me?
He heard the voices again: "Get them. Don't let either of them escape…we need 'em both!"
What…? Now I'm really confused!…yeah, that's right…Varon was in that cell for quite a while before I came and busted him out…but what do they want with us…? …I don' got time to be thinkin' about that right now! I just need to find a way to lose these suckers! And fast! C'mon, think, Jono! Think! Argh!
Poor Jounouchi. He never really was good at thinking, and now, when he needed to the most…
However, that cave might help him hide out for a bit. Sure, he didn't like caves all that much…since that stupid bear incident…and later at Duelist Kingdom with that freak Bonz…(A/N: About the bear…long story! See the Second Chapter of Point of View if you're interested
But, still…if he could just reach it…it was quite a ways away. And he was running out of stamina and could pretty much collapse at any moment. It's what I get for sprintin' at the beginning, he thought. But I had to, or those creeps were gonna get me! Well, it's now or never! I'm goin' for it! CHARGE!
With very accurate but sloppy timing, he dove for the cave, landing on his stomach in a belly-flop position and sending Varon flying off of his back.
"Oof!" He grunted. Varon moaned.
"Ah! Whew!" he screamed loudly. "Dang! That was close…Whoops!" he said as he quickly covered his mouth.
"There! He went that-a-way, Raphael!" came an unknown voice.
"Well, don't just stand there, you imbeciles! Find them!" came Raphael's voice. Dang, that man recuperates fast. Jou had knocked him out twice in two days, and both times, he came to within a matter of five minutes.
As soon as he was sure they had passed him up, Jou let out a huge sigh and flopped on his back in exhaustion. Sweat flew from his face. "Oh…man!" he panted, out of breath from running so much. "I've had just about enough a' this crap! How 'bout you, buddy…?"
He turned to Varon, who simply moaned.
"Yeah…" Jou muttered. "Yer tellin' me…" Silence. "Tell me about it…." Jou said after a while, apparently to himself. "Absolutely ridiculous. I mean, what do these creeps want wit us, eh!"
"…J-Jou-no-uchi…" Varon gasped weakly. "I…I…miss…Mai…"
"Yeah…." Jou replied as he sat up. "I miss her too. Y'know, I understand yer sick an' all, but ya gotta speak up every once in a while. I was beginnin' ta think you'd died over there!"
Varon chuckled. "Yeah…sorry about that…!" he said in a raspy voice.
"Yer laughin'!" Jou growled in frustration. "This ain't no joke, man! I'm serious (fer once)."
Varon chuckled again. "I'm sorry…Jounouchi!" he said, smiling.
He's laughing…that's real funny considering he's the one who's all sick and stuff…I really don't wanna stay in this cave…but until Raphael and his goons let up, we really don't have much of a choice! Aw man…if only Yugi were here right now…he'd know what to do…I just know he would…
Meanwhile…Honda hopped off of his motorcycle and knocked on the door to Yugi's place.
The door opened. Yugi was relieved to see his friend. "Oh…hey Honda. Any luck finding Jounouchi?"
"No…" Honda replied. "Bakura and I searched everywhere. The police haven't found him either. Shizuka and her mom are really worried that something may have happened to him. Even Mai's worried about him!"
"I'm worried too…" Yugi said. "After school, Yami and I checked all his usual hang-out places…what could have happened to him, Honda?"
"I have no idea, but I don't like it."
"I don't know what to do…for once…I just don't know what to do…! I just know that we have to find him! We must!"
"You could try asking your friend Otogi to help out," came the voice of Yugi's grandfather from the other room.
"No good…" Honda replied. "Otogi hasn't even seen him recently, so strike that idea. And we can just straight out forget about Kaiba helping us!"
"I wouldn't say that, Honda!" Yugi said as he grabbed his jacked and ran out the door.
"Wait, Yugi!" Honda shouted after him.
As Yugi ran, a voice spoke to him. Aibou…where are we going?
We're going to Kaiba's place, Yami! Yugi replied to his alter ego, Yami, the spirit that lived in his Millennium Puzzle. If anybody can help us find Jounouchi, it's Kaiba.
That may be so… Yami started, but Honda's right. Kaiba's not going to help us! He hates Jounouchi's guts!
We have to try, Yami! It may be our only hope!
Yami sighed. You're right, Aibou…
The short spiky-haired high-school boy and his "yami" ran to Kaiba's place, unaware of the real danger that Jounouchi was in…
Because at that very moment…somewhere deep in the mountains, miles from Domino City, a huge figure approached Jou and Varon's hiding place.
"Heh ha…gotcha…!" the deep voice said.
Aw, crap…Jou thought. We spent all day in this cave…and I think that joik found out where we were hiding…crap…crap…!
A shadow blocked the evening light from entering the cave. Jou looked up, hoping to see something other than what he was expecting. A tall figure was standing in front of the cave, apparently staring straight at them. "Hi," he said simply.
Oh no… Jou thought, hiding his fear. It's him…
Varon crawled into a corner, hoping he wasn't seen.
"That's right. I see you, Varon!"
Crud! Varon thought as he panicked. His frenzied stated caused him to go into another coughing fit.
Unless Jou thought of something quick, it was all over for the both of them. There was nowhere to hide and nowhere left to run. They were trapped. This looks like the end! Jou thought. Somebody…help!
End Chapter Three
Man, it took so long to finish this chapter! But it's finally finished. (God knows if anybody will actually review. If no one does, however, it certainly wouldn't surprise me.)
Anyway, until the next chapter. Ja ne!