Aha! I've finally been inspired enough to finish this chapter. Sorry it
took so long, but I have school and other fics to worry about. Excuses
excuses, I know. I'll try to do better, but no promises. Anyway, I promised
I'd tell you the pairings at the end of this chapter, and they are there.
You'll just have to read to get down to them ^--^ Um, other than that I
don't think I have much to say. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I am not fortunate enough to be obscenely wealthy. Therefore I have no way to afford something as pricy as Yu-Gi-Oh! However, if I win the lottery several times over, things may change.
Note: ~!~ means a change in either perspective (I focus in on one character explicitly) or a change in scene. I think it's fairly easy to tell, but if not just let me know.
~~~
---
Wayward
---
~~~
The sun was high. Market square in Brushtown was beginning to heat up as midday approached. Merchants began to prop up awnings and other covers to provide shade for their customers. They then rearranged or polished various trinkets and wares they hoped would make a profit. The few wandering browsers debated whether they wished to stay and bargain in the afternoon sun or retreat to their cooler homes. Many valued personal comfort over material gain, and the square became all but empty.
In a shadowed corner, free of the glare of the sun, cool violet eyes regarded the activity around the various colorful booths. They belonged to an older teen with dark skin, spiky blonde hair and an attitude. He wore a bland tunic over standard light leather armor. Two hilts poked above his shoulder line from their sheathes strapped to his back. Overall, his appearance spoke of not wanting to be remembered. He would hardly stand out from any other member of a crowd, especially if wearing a hood or standing in the shadows. He strode out of the darkness and winced as his eyes adjusted to the harsh sunlight. At this time of day, merchants were most likely to lower their prices.
"Come here, young master. I offer the finest silks in all the land. Perfect for surprising your lady love I assure you!"
"Why settle for garments when you can adorn both yourself and any fancy you may have, with shining jewels and bands of gold straight from the mines of Karthac?" He paused and skimmed over the jewelry spread out on the table top. Nothing seemed as valuable as the seller obviously hoped it was. Shaking his head he continued down the row.
"I sell talismans capable of improving your health, your looks, anything you may desire!"
The youth, Marik, paused in front of the round little man who eagerly held up trinkets in the hope of a sale. They were minor charms, for charisma and stealth, hardly anything special in this day and age. And they were being sold at highly inflated prices to boot. Two hundred gold for light steps? Hilarious! But there was one item that appeared valuable to his questing eyes..... Marik put on his best affronted look and gazed down at the shop keeper. "Are you implying that my health and my features are less than adequate? That I am in need of something to enhance them?"
The seller blanched and quickly tried to recover. "N-no! Of course not! I merely meant that you could enhance such..... such fine endowments to that of a higher being!"
"So now you say I am lowly?"
"No! No, young master, no. I-"
"You seem to hope insulting your customers will result in profit. I may have to report such actions to the head of the city. I'm sure he would be able to impose some manners on you."
"Please, no. He would shut me down and I have a family to support. Listen," the keeper's voice dropped to a low murmur, "why don't you pick out something you like? It's yours free of charge. And I'm sure we can forget this matter?"
Marik smiled sweetly and snatched up a rather ordinary looking pin from the assorted pendants and curios on the stall top. "You are quite the salesman, my good fellow. I will recommend you to all of my friends and family." With a flourishing and over exaggerated bow, Marik stepped away from the annoying little man, hand clenched firmly around his prize. It was a smooth, graceful exit until he bumped into someone behind him.
"I'm sorry. Forgive my clumsiness." Marik turned to the owner of such a soft and quiet voice. A small, hooded form was stooped on the ground attempting to pick up a few items that they had dropped with exaggerated, almost misleading gestures. Everything about them was covered, from the face down to just above the ankles. Marik had never seen anyone dressed so secretively before. 'And here I thought I was easy to forget.'
"No trouble," Marik said as he walked past and out of the square. He had more ideal things to be worrying about than some strange shopper who couldn't watch where he was going. He opened his palm to marvel at his rare find, only to discover his hand empty. 'Now where did..... that little hooded cheek! He'll regret this.' Marik turned sharply on one heel and started marching back to where he'd run into the strange bargain hunter. The only time he could've lost his catch was when that little oaf had caused him to stumble. And as he rounded a corner, the bizarre spread out before him and it occurred to Marik that he couldn't see his target anymore. 'What terrific luck.'
~!~
Ryou sat back against the thick trunk of an oak tree with a satisfied sigh. He shirked off the hood of his cloak and shook out his white hair. The day had been good to him. He looked over the provisions he had successfully managed to either buy with what little money he had or snatch from unsuspecting passersby in the village. The inhabitants of Brushtown were always too trusting, even though swindling merchants harassed them daily. He wasn't complaining.
A small, slightly dull sparkle caught his eye. Using a foot, Ryou pushed aside half a loaf of bread and a sack of fire-starter dust to uncover a surprise. A small unremarkable pin lay prone in the scrub before him. He wasn't certain what it was, or how he'd come to have it, but imagined it must have some important meaning. Free was free, right? He could always sell it later.
"Hey there snow white," a low voice purred close to his left ear. Ryou started, and jerked reflexively to his feet, in the process throwing on his hood. He whirled to the side, glaring from beneath the hang now covering his face in shadow. "Ooh, a twitchy pretty boy. Mmm, I think I'll keep you, provided you twitch at least half as nice for me."
From behind the tree Ryou had been propped against stepped a short boyish youth, with short pale green hair, cinnamon skin and an abnormally wide smile that seemed impossible for his otherwise, small, impish face. He crouched down and ran a hand through the meager merchandise strewn there. Ryou stiffened perceptibly, readying himself for a fight or flight situation. He was familiar with the cool hazel-eyed figure in front of him.
"Aww, pretty birdie doesn't want to roost with me for awhile?" The figure tilted his head to one side almost sadly. "Then Espa has to clip birdie's shining wings." With unnatural speed, the dark skinned boy launched himself at Ryou. His hands were twisted into impossible claws that found their way to Ryou's legs as the smaller winged youth attempted to get away.
Biting back mounting panic, Ryou lashed out with a powerful kick that managed to connect squarely with Espa's jaw. His attacker's head snapped to one side and seemed to stick there. In any normal circumstance, the recipient of such a blow would have been dead instantly, neck broken. Espa reached up calmly and twisted his head back to its proper orientation and wagged a finger.
"Now, now, snowflake. You know how much that hurts. So don't do it again!" Espa, still with a firm hold on one leg, yanked downward hard while swiping upwards with his free hand. Four gashes appeared across Ryou's chest, causing him to gasp in sudden pain and flap uselessly again the hold. His attacker merely chuckled. "Daddy's mad at you. And when daddy's mad, Espa gets to play!"
"I'm not going back," Ryou hissed. He twisted sharply to one side, hoping to shake the tight grip, but found that Espa anticipated this move and went with it. He even managed to use the momentum to push forward and send them both sprawling to the ground, Ryou pinned beneath the other.
"When I'm done with you, pretty snow bird, you'll beg to go back," Espa purred into Ryou's ear in a silky voice. He pushed himself up and settled atop of his captive, legs effectively trapping legs, and hands pinning down feathery wings beneath the ratty cloak at the shoulder joints. An uncomfortable situation for Ryou. Espa then grinned, stretching out his mouth to an impossibly long, thin line. Then he leaned down, opening his mouth to reveal many sharp needle teeth, all in neat little rows. He paused momentarily, inches from Ryou's face, feeling the pants of hot breath coming from below. "Yum."
Espa clamped down on Ryou's mouth, sending a small trail of blood trickling down his cheek. If he had been able to, Ryou would have screamed.
~!~
"Damn! Would you get it through your head that I already know that! I'm asking if you saw some kid, covered from head to toe, go by here today." Marik fought the urge to overturn the stall. Its keeper was being decidedly uncooperative and ignorant, which only made Marik's temper worse. He had spent the last hour searching for the thief which had taken his pin, getting nowhere fast. And now some puny little shrimp of a man, who thought he was so great, was trying to con him into buying something in exchange for information while quoting the same line over and over, which was-
"I'm sorry, sir, but I am unable to offer any information at this moment. But if you'd like to buy something, I would be more than happy to help."
"I give up! I quit! I hope you hang within the next week!" Marik spat, unfortunately missing the salesman. He stomped away from the main square and through various side streets until he arrived at a shady pub boasting the name Rusty Bucket.
Once inside, he demanded an ale which he downed in moments after it was delivered, tossing a few coins on the counter. This was repeated twice more before Marik's blood began to cool and he could think a little more clearly. He couldn't be certain that the thief was still in Brushtown and not a good distance away on one of the many paths, but he couldn't rule it out either. "Damn that kid."
"Something botherin' you hon?" Marik looked up into an almost blinding mass of kinky blonde hair (nearly hitting something else on his way up) that framed amethyst eyes. She had one hand on her hip while the other was pressed thoughtfully to one cheek. "Well?"
Marik took in her outfit with a quick sweep of his gaze: tight off- white blouse, fitted skirt that was much too short and a halter top that pushed out other features way too far in a garish purple hue. He stifled a sneer. "Excuse me if I don't share my life's story with a complete stranger." 'Not to mention a floozy for sure.'
Not catching the hint in his tone, she took a seat across from him and smiled, showing off perfectly white teeth. Marik almost lost his lunch right there. "I'm not askin' for that much, sugar." She held out a long fingered hand with trimmed long nails toward him. "The name's Mai." Her hand managed to grab hold of his and she shook it firmly. "There. Now we're not strangers anymore."
"I am so thrilled."
"That's no way to speak to a woman! I ought to slap you for such a comment, but I'm in a nice, helpful mood, and so I won't. Now what's eating away at you?" Mai leaned in intently as if hoping to suck it out of him just by being near.
"You don't even know my name." Marik was strangely finding it hard not to open up to this woman. Something about her casual, offhand attitude seemed to lower his guard. He didn't like this one bit.
"Oh, that's not important. I'm here to help you and that is." She dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand. Marik let it go because he found he couldn't make his mind keep hold of it. "Now tell me all your troubles."
"I..... um..... okay." His anger gone like smoke in a spring breeze, Marik began to recount his morning 'adventure' ending with his frustration over losing track of the one who had taken what was his. Throughout the story, Mai had nodded her head or made understanding sounds in the back of her throat. By the time he had finished, she seemed very interested.
"So that's the reason," she spoke quietly, more to herself than him. Marik wasn't entirely sure what she meant but assumed she was referring to why he had been in such a foul temper. In fact, he was wondering how he could've felt like that himself, considering he was feeling strangely calm and uncaring of the world around him.
"Yeah," he offered lamely. This brought Mai's attention back to him. She frowned, which darkened her features and offset the image she had obviously tried so hard to create.
"And that means you're useless." Marik was not quite sure what Mai meant when she said those few little words. But her feeling behind them soon became painfully clear. Pushing herself up with one hand, Mai flashed him a sickly sweet smile. "You may not have been what I was hoping for, hon, but I can't have you wanderin' around now either." Her mannerisms abruptly switched from demure to machine-like business. One hand knocked the small wooden table between them to the side while the other quested for, and found his neck. All feelings of detachment and calm began to drain from Marik as he fought against her iron grip.
"What are you.....?" He couldn't finish the words flowing through his mind as his lungs began to burn for the oxygen being withheld. Mai took his half-finished question literally.
"I suppose there's no harm in telling you, now that you're about to die." She sunk down and straddled his lap, facing backwards on the chair. Her second hand reached up to join the first. "I'm a messenger conjured up from the depths of Hell." Her eyes flashed dangerously, smoldering with a hidden intensity.
Marik's mind raced fervently, trying to figure out the connection between himself and Mai. But first, he needed air. With all the strength he could summon, Marik drove his left elbow into the center of her chest as hard as he was able. Without missing a beat, be brought up his right hand and slammed the heel of it into the side of her face. The first blow succeeded in loosening her grip, while the second sent Mai sliding to the floor. Welcomed air filled his starving lungs and he coughed a few times to clear out the stale breath he'd been forced to hold.
"Big mistake, sugar." Mai, in the time he'd spent trying to regain his composure, had gotten to her feet and now seemed to tower over him. Marik spared no time in staring and flung himself to one side, rolling with the momentum upon impact. He banged one shoulder sharply against a table leg and cursed under his breath. Mai made an inhuman sound of frustration.
If no one had noticed Mai's attempt to kill Marik in his chair, they certainly became aware of her intentions as she began to plow after him, knocking everything out of her way. Bar patrons scattered, pouring out into far too bright sunlight and taking off down the streets. The bar tender ducked down behind his counter and disappeared.
After tossing yet another small wooden table into the air and across the room, Mai found herself glaring down at her prey, who looked back at her with a mixture of contempt and bewilderment. She paused to smile once again, now looking less lovely and more hellish, before pouncing towards the lone human left inside.
Or, she would have pounced if Marik hadn't acted first.
Seizing the opportunity she presented when smiling, Marik had sprung to his feet in a low crouch and drawn each of his blades from their sheaths on his back. Each was slightly curved, and the manner in which he held them meant he would be able to defend himself from most angles of attack without having to move much. Mai pulled back, sizing him, and Marik did the same of her. She was all brute force, he concluded. That suited him just fine.
In a sudden blur of movement, Marik launched himself forward, staying lightly on his toes and began to spin in a calculated manner, almost like a whirling dance. Each footfall lasted no longer than an instant before he spun off onto the next. He moved his hands very little, merely changing the angle of his blades every few steps. The effect was a cyclone of flashing steel which was fast approaching Mai.
"What do you call that? Dance of the foolishly brave?" Mai hovered a few paced beyond the range of Marik's dervish. He made no response, so focused on his movement was his concentration. With an arrogant laugh, Mai launched forward with a great surge of power.
Marik stepped widely at that moment, which brought his lithe body low and under the path of her attack. When she was sufficiently off balance, he struck. Each of his curved blades scored on various parts of her body, each hit at a different angle than the last. A good portion of her flesh and clothing was shredded in the process. Mai hit the floor with a wet thump. Completing the motion, Marik stood upright and sheathed his weapons. He was breathing harder than normal and a slight sheen of perspiration covered his brow, but otherwise he was unharmed. The only spot she'd managed to strike was his neck and a few bruises weren't going to be a problem.
He turned to look over his handy work with grim satisfaction. Mai had obviously underestimated his capabilities. But why had she attacked him the first place? Unless he'd done something in the past to anger her, she'd had no reason! And their dialogue..... 'What the hell was that all about?'
For a moment he allowed himself to get lost in thought about his strange- and completely maddening- day. But this was short lived as a tiny movement dragged him back to the present. Mai's body had just moved. It was subtle, a simple clenching of a hand, but it had definitely happened. She wasn't dead. And if she was still alive after what he'd hit her with, well, Marik didn't think he could kill her after all. Besides, what was it she'd said about being conjured from Hell?
'Ah, damn!' Making sure everything on him was secure Marik sprinted over the debris from their scuffle and around any other tables that fell in his way. Once outside, he ran as fast as he could away from the Rusty Bucket. His mind was a buzz with possibilities. He retraced everything he'd said to Mai- and while doing so discovered he'd never intended to spill so much information- and tried to detect what had set her off. Then it hit him. The only thing that had set him apart this day, from any other wandering villager or traveling bargainer, was that pesky thief that had stolen his well won trophy! Growling softly to himself, Marik headed for the main gate. The runt had to still be in the area for someone like Mai to be snooping about. And if she'd thought he was in town, and was mistaken, that meant he couldn't be far.
Or so Marik hoped.
~!~
Ryou tried desperately to shake Espa's grip but couldn't move much for fear of near blinding pain. Cool hazel eyes gazed condescendingly down at him from mere inches away. His attacker was securely attached over the area just surrounding his mouth and showed no signs of letting go soon. What was worse, Ryou could feel himself losing energy the longer Espa remained glued to him. Mind racing for any means of escape, Ryou settled for glaring with as much loathing as he possibly could up at the minion of his father. Espa looked amused.
The sound of rapid footfalls sounded somewhere off to their left. A moment later a youth with wild spiky blonde hair charged into view and stopped. He seemed confused as to what Ryou and Espa were up to, but quickly pushed it aside in favor of anger.
"Hey, you! I've got a bone to pick with you, kid. First you steal from me, then you nearly get me killed!"
Ryou slide his eyes sluggishly away from this new arrival and back to the smug gaze of his assailant. Espa had lost some of his cocky attitude but still remained certain he couldn't lose. His grip on Ryou's wing joints, however, loosened. This was all the help Ryou needed. He bent his spine backward, arching up, while at the same time giving a mighty flap. This sudden movement caused Espa to start slipping backward. At this moment he could have bitten down harder, but the movement directly in his face caused by Ryou's cloak and wings caused him to open his mouth in surprise.
"What the hell.....?" The intruder seemed shocked at how events were unfolding before his eyes.
Ryou swiped at his face, ignoring the pain, and wiped away some of the streaming blood there. He was all set to take off and leave them both behind when a hand caught his ankle. Espa wasn't finished with him yet. Using Ryou to pull himself back into a stable position, Espa snarled in the interruptions direction. An insulted sound was the response, but Ryou couldn't be bothered to look at that moment. Instead he jerked his foot back and forth with the hopes of shaking off his foe. No such luck.
"You will come back, snowflake," Espa purred as he dug horrendously sharp nails into the boney flesh at Ryou's ankle. His free hand twisted into a grotesque claw, preparing to ram itself into some other tender flashy part of the smaller youth's body. This was when Marik decided to introduce himself.
He shouldered Espa off, causing a nasty gash to be torn from Ryou's leg. The other lost his calm composure and scrambled after him, briefly clawing his way forward on all fours. Marik pushed his thief to the side, knocking Ryou harshly into a tree and therefore dazing him, before sidestepping quickly to avoid the charge. One curved blade was instantly in his hand. Espa rounded, breathing hard, and regrouped for a second pass. There was a mad glint in his eyes that made Marik uneasy.
"Run.....away....." Marik jerked his head sharply to the side for an instant, registered that the smaller youth had spoken, before focusing on his enemy again. Espa began to circle with a feral grin. "You can't win. He'll see you first." Marik was baffled as to what these words meant.
'See me first? What kind of crazy talk is that?' But his unsettled feeling only grew as Espa began to close in. 'Okay..... let's pretend I wanted to run. How exactly would I do that? He's blocking the path and the wood's too thick!' Marik's eyes darted back and forth before settling on the scattered items on the ground between them. Some food items had been crushed; other trinkets were broken and now worthless. But one dull sparkle caught his eye. The pin! 'That just might work.'
"Juicy little birdie has a playmate, and Espa wants to eat him all up." Espa flew forward; both hands twisted and ready to disembowel Marik. The target, however, had other plans. Marik tucked and rolled forward, snatching up his earlier prize. Then, spinning on one heel with the momentum of the roll, he stepped toward the disoriented thief.
"Air Spine!" Marik dived and caught hold of one slender foot before plunging the pin into the ground. It expanded to three times its size and hummed faintly. With a flash of white and a gut wrenching sensation, the world surrounding the pair dissolved away. Espa's screams of rage faded into nothing. They both were safe, for the moment.
~~~
Yay, there we go! I had fun writing this chapter, as weird and kinda, uh, violent as it was. And as I promised, here are my planned pairings:
Yami/Yugi
Seto/Jou (you already knew that one ~)
Malik/Marik
Ryou/Bakura
Yeah, your classic yami/hikari pairs with Seto and Jou thrown in too. But I like those, so nya *sticks out her tongue* Well, now that I've introduced them all, who would you like to see in chapter four? Yami, Seto and Jou; Yugi, Malik, Bakura and Isis; or Marik and Ryou? Send in your vote and I bet you'll see it up here next, when I get finished writing it. Oh, and can anyone guess who Ryou's attacker is? It's pretty obvious, to me at least, but I'd like to make sure everyone's on the same page. ^^ Review, review, review!
Disclaimer: I am not fortunate enough to be obscenely wealthy. Therefore I have no way to afford something as pricy as Yu-Gi-Oh! However, if I win the lottery several times over, things may change.
Note: ~!~ means a change in either perspective (I focus in on one character explicitly) or a change in scene. I think it's fairly easy to tell, but if not just let me know.
~~~
---
Wayward
---
~~~
The sun was high. Market square in Brushtown was beginning to heat up as midday approached. Merchants began to prop up awnings and other covers to provide shade for their customers. They then rearranged or polished various trinkets and wares they hoped would make a profit. The few wandering browsers debated whether they wished to stay and bargain in the afternoon sun or retreat to their cooler homes. Many valued personal comfort over material gain, and the square became all but empty.
In a shadowed corner, free of the glare of the sun, cool violet eyes regarded the activity around the various colorful booths. They belonged to an older teen with dark skin, spiky blonde hair and an attitude. He wore a bland tunic over standard light leather armor. Two hilts poked above his shoulder line from their sheathes strapped to his back. Overall, his appearance spoke of not wanting to be remembered. He would hardly stand out from any other member of a crowd, especially if wearing a hood or standing in the shadows. He strode out of the darkness and winced as his eyes adjusted to the harsh sunlight. At this time of day, merchants were most likely to lower their prices.
"Come here, young master. I offer the finest silks in all the land. Perfect for surprising your lady love I assure you!"
"Why settle for garments when you can adorn both yourself and any fancy you may have, with shining jewels and bands of gold straight from the mines of Karthac?" He paused and skimmed over the jewelry spread out on the table top. Nothing seemed as valuable as the seller obviously hoped it was. Shaking his head he continued down the row.
"I sell talismans capable of improving your health, your looks, anything you may desire!"
The youth, Marik, paused in front of the round little man who eagerly held up trinkets in the hope of a sale. They were minor charms, for charisma and stealth, hardly anything special in this day and age. And they were being sold at highly inflated prices to boot. Two hundred gold for light steps? Hilarious! But there was one item that appeared valuable to his questing eyes..... Marik put on his best affronted look and gazed down at the shop keeper. "Are you implying that my health and my features are less than adequate? That I am in need of something to enhance them?"
The seller blanched and quickly tried to recover. "N-no! Of course not! I merely meant that you could enhance such..... such fine endowments to that of a higher being!"
"So now you say I am lowly?"
"No! No, young master, no. I-"
"You seem to hope insulting your customers will result in profit. I may have to report such actions to the head of the city. I'm sure he would be able to impose some manners on you."
"Please, no. He would shut me down and I have a family to support. Listen," the keeper's voice dropped to a low murmur, "why don't you pick out something you like? It's yours free of charge. And I'm sure we can forget this matter?"
Marik smiled sweetly and snatched up a rather ordinary looking pin from the assorted pendants and curios on the stall top. "You are quite the salesman, my good fellow. I will recommend you to all of my friends and family." With a flourishing and over exaggerated bow, Marik stepped away from the annoying little man, hand clenched firmly around his prize. It was a smooth, graceful exit until he bumped into someone behind him.
"I'm sorry. Forgive my clumsiness." Marik turned to the owner of such a soft and quiet voice. A small, hooded form was stooped on the ground attempting to pick up a few items that they had dropped with exaggerated, almost misleading gestures. Everything about them was covered, from the face down to just above the ankles. Marik had never seen anyone dressed so secretively before. 'And here I thought I was easy to forget.'
"No trouble," Marik said as he walked past and out of the square. He had more ideal things to be worrying about than some strange shopper who couldn't watch where he was going. He opened his palm to marvel at his rare find, only to discover his hand empty. 'Now where did..... that little hooded cheek! He'll regret this.' Marik turned sharply on one heel and started marching back to where he'd run into the strange bargain hunter. The only time he could've lost his catch was when that little oaf had caused him to stumble. And as he rounded a corner, the bizarre spread out before him and it occurred to Marik that he couldn't see his target anymore. 'What terrific luck.'
~!~
Ryou sat back against the thick trunk of an oak tree with a satisfied sigh. He shirked off the hood of his cloak and shook out his white hair. The day had been good to him. He looked over the provisions he had successfully managed to either buy with what little money he had or snatch from unsuspecting passersby in the village. The inhabitants of Brushtown were always too trusting, even though swindling merchants harassed them daily. He wasn't complaining.
A small, slightly dull sparkle caught his eye. Using a foot, Ryou pushed aside half a loaf of bread and a sack of fire-starter dust to uncover a surprise. A small unremarkable pin lay prone in the scrub before him. He wasn't certain what it was, or how he'd come to have it, but imagined it must have some important meaning. Free was free, right? He could always sell it later.
"Hey there snow white," a low voice purred close to his left ear. Ryou started, and jerked reflexively to his feet, in the process throwing on his hood. He whirled to the side, glaring from beneath the hang now covering his face in shadow. "Ooh, a twitchy pretty boy. Mmm, I think I'll keep you, provided you twitch at least half as nice for me."
From behind the tree Ryou had been propped against stepped a short boyish youth, with short pale green hair, cinnamon skin and an abnormally wide smile that seemed impossible for his otherwise, small, impish face. He crouched down and ran a hand through the meager merchandise strewn there. Ryou stiffened perceptibly, readying himself for a fight or flight situation. He was familiar with the cool hazel-eyed figure in front of him.
"Aww, pretty birdie doesn't want to roost with me for awhile?" The figure tilted his head to one side almost sadly. "Then Espa has to clip birdie's shining wings." With unnatural speed, the dark skinned boy launched himself at Ryou. His hands were twisted into impossible claws that found their way to Ryou's legs as the smaller winged youth attempted to get away.
Biting back mounting panic, Ryou lashed out with a powerful kick that managed to connect squarely with Espa's jaw. His attacker's head snapped to one side and seemed to stick there. In any normal circumstance, the recipient of such a blow would have been dead instantly, neck broken. Espa reached up calmly and twisted his head back to its proper orientation and wagged a finger.
"Now, now, snowflake. You know how much that hurts. So don't do it again!" Espa, still with a firm hold on one leg, yanked downward hard while swiping upwards with his free hand. Four gashes appeared across Ryou's chest, causing him to gasp in sudden pain and flap uselessly again the hold. His attacker merely chuckled. "Daddy's mad at you. And when daddy's mad, Espa gets to play!"
"I'm not going back," Ryou hissed. He twisted sharply to one side, hoping to shake the tight grip, but found that Espa anticipated this move and went with it. He even managed to use the momentum to push forward and send them both sprawling to the ground, Ryou pinned beneath the other.
"When I'm done with you, pretty snow bird, you'll beg to go back," Espa purred into Ryou's ear in a silky voice. He pushed himself up and settled atop of his captive, legs effectively trapping legs, and hands pinning down feathery wings beneath the ratty cloak at the shoulder joints. An uncomfortable situation for Ryou. Espa then grinned, stretching out his mouth to an impossibly long, thin line. Then he leaned down, opening his mouth to reveal many sharp needle teeth, all in neat little rows. He paused momentarily, inches from Ryou's face, feeling the pants of hot breath coming from below. "Yum."
Espa clamped down on Ryou's mouth, sending a small trail of blood trickling down his cheek. If he had been able to, Ryou would have screamed.
~!~
"Damn! Would you get it through your head that I already know that! I'm asking if you saw some kid, covered from head to toe, go by here today." Marik fought the urge to overturn the stall. Its keeper was being decidedly uncooperative and ignorant, which only made Marik's temper worse. He had spent the last hour searching for the thief which had taken his pin, getting nowhere fast. And now some puny little shrimp of a man, who thought he was so great, was trying to con him into buying something in exchange for information while quoting the same line over and over, which was-
"I'm sorry, sir, but I am unable to offer any information at this moment. But if you'd like to buy something, I would be more than happy to help."
"I give up! I quit! I hope you hang within the next week!" Marik spat, unfortunately missing the salesman. He stomped away from the main square and through various side streets until he arrived at a shady pub boasting the name Rusty Bucket.
Once inside, he demanded an ale which he downed in moments after it was delivered, tossing a few coins on the counter. This was repeated twice more before Marik's blood began to cool and he could think a little more clearly. He couldn't be certain that the thief was still in Brushtown and not a good distance away on one of the many paths, but he couldn't rule it out either. "Damn that kid."
"Something botherin' you hon?" Marik looked up into an almost blinding mass of kinky blonde hair (nearly hitting something else on his way up) that framed amethyst eyes. She had one hand on her hip while the other was pressed thoughtfully to one cheek. "Well?"
Marik took in her outfit with a quick sweep of his gaze: tight off- white blouse, fitted skirt that was much too short and a halter top that pushed out other features way too far in a garish purple hue. He stifled a sneer. "Excuse me if I don't share my life's story with a complete stranger." 'Not to mention a floozy for sure.'
Not catching the hint in his tone, she took a seat across from him and smiled, showing off perfectly white teeth. Marik almost lost his lunch right there. "I'm not askin' for that much, sugar." She held out a long fingered hand with trimmed long nails toward him. "The name's Mai." Her hand managed to grab hold of his and she shook it firmly. "There. Now we're not strangers anymore."
"I am so thrilled."
"That's no way to speak to a woman! I ought to slap you for such a comment, but I'm in a nice, helpful mood, and so I won't. Now what's eating away at you?" Mai leaned in intently as if hoping to suck it out of him just by being near.
"You don't even know my name." Marik was strangely finding it hard not to open up to this woman. Something about her casual, offhand attitude seemed to lower his guard. He didn't like this one bit.
"Oh, that's not important. I'm here to help you and that is." She dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand. Marik let it go because he found he couldn't make his mind keep hold of it. "Now tell me all your troubles."
"I..... um..... okay." His anger gone like smoke in a spring breeze, Marik began to recount his morning 'adventure' ending with his frustration over losing track of the one who had taken what was his. Throughout the story, Mai had nodded her head or made understanding sounds in the back of her throat. By the time he had finished, she seemed very interested.
"So that's the reason," she spoke quietly, more to herself than him. Marik wasn't entirely sure what she meant but assumed she was referring to why he had been in such a foul temper. In fact, he was wondering how he could've felt like that himself, considering he was feeling strangely calm and uncaring of the world around him.
"Yeah," he offered lamely. This brought Mai's attention back to him. She frowned, which darkened her features and offset the image she had obviously tried so hard to create.
"And that means you're useless." Marik was not quite sure what Mai meant when she said those few little words. But her feeling behind them soon became painfully clear. Pushing herself up with one hand, Mai flashed him a sickly sweet smile. "You may not have been what I was hoping for, hon, but I can't have you wanderin' around now either." Her mannerisms abruptly switched from demure to machine-like business. One hand knocked the small wooden table between them to the side while the other quested for, and found his neck. All feelings of detachment and calm began to drain from Marik as he fought against her iron grip.
"What are you.....?" He couldn't finish the words flowing through his mind as his lungs began to burn for the oxygen being withheld. Mai took his half-finished question literally.
"I suppose there's no harm in telling you, now that you're about to die." She sunk down and straddled his lap, facing backwards on the chair. Her second hand reached up to join the first. "I'm a messenger conjured up from the depths of Hell." Her eyes flashed dangerously, smoldering with a hidden intensity.
Marik's mind raced fervently, trying to figure out the connection between himself and Mai. But first, he needed air. With all the strength he could summon, Marik drove his left elbow into the center of her chest as hard as he was able. Without missing a beat, be brought up his right hand and slammed the heel of it into the side of her face. The first blow succeeded in loosening her grip, while the second sent Mai sliding to the floor. Welcomed air filled his starving lungs and he coughed a few times to clear out the stale breath he'd been forced to hold.
"Big mistake, sugar." Mai, in the time he'd spent trying to regain his composure, had gotten to her feet and now seemed to tower over him. Marik spared no time in staring and flung himself to one side, rolling with the momentum upon impact. He banged one shoulder sharply against a table leg and cursed under his breath. Mai made an inhuman sound of frustration.
If no one had noticed Mai's attempt to kill Marik in his chair, they certainly became aware of her intentions as she began to plow after him, knocking everything out of her way. Bar patrons scattered, pouring out into far too bright sunlight and taking off down the streets. The bar tender ducked down behind his counter and disappeared.
After tossing yet another small wooden table into the air and across the room, Mai found herself glaring down at her prey, who looked back at her with a mixture of contempt and bewilderment. She paused to smile once again, now looking less lovely and more hellish, before pouncing towards the lone human left inside.
Or, she would have pounced if Marik hadn't acted first.
Seizing the opportunity she presented when smiling, Marik had sprung to his feet in a low crouch and drawn each of his blades from their sheaths on his back. Each was slightly curved, and the manner in which he held them meant he would be able to defend himself from most angles of attack without having to move much. Mai pulled back, sizing him, and Marik did the same of her. She was all brute force, he concluded. That suited him just fine.
In a sudden blur of movement, Marik launched himself forward, staying lightly on his toes and began to spin in a calculated manner, almost like a whirling dance. Each footfall lasted no longer than an instant before he spun off onto the next. He moved his hands very little, merely changing the angle of his blades every few steps. The effect was a cyclone of flashing steel which was fast approaching Mai.
"What do you call that? Dance of the foolishly brave?" Mai hovered a few paced beyond the range of Marik's dervish. He made no response, so focused on his movement was his concentration. With an arrogant laugh, Mai launched forward with a great surge of power.
Marik stepped widely at that moment, which brought his lithe body low and under the path of her attack. When she was sufficiently off balance, he struck. Each of his curved blades scored on various parts of her body, each hit at a different angle than the last. A good portion of her flesh and clothing was shredded in the process. Mai hit the floor with a wet thump. Completing the motion, Marik stood upright and sheathed his weapons. He was breathing harder than normal and a slight sheen of perspiration covered his brow, but otherwise he was unharmed. The only spot she'd managed to strike was his neck and a few bruises weren't going to be a problem.
He turned to look over his handy work with grim satisfaction. Mai had obviously underestimated his capabilities. But why had she attacked him the first place? Unless he'd done something in the past to anger her, she'd had no reason! And their dialogue..... 'What the hell was that all about?'
For a moment he allowed himself to get lost in thought about his strange- and completely maddening- day. But this was short lived as a tiny movement dragged him back to the present. Mai's body had just moved. It was subtle, a simple clenching of a hand, but it had definitely happened. She wasn't dead. And if she was still alive after what he'd hit her with, well, Marik didn't think he could kill her after all. Besides, what was it she'd said about being conjured from Hell?
'Ah, damn!' Making sure everything on him was secure Marik sprinted over the debris from their scuffle and around any other tables that fell in his way. Once outside, he ran as fast as he could away from the Rusty Bucket. His mind was a buzz with possibilities. He retraced everything he'd said to Mai- and while doing so discovered he'd never intended to spill so much information- and tried to detect what had set her off. Then it hit him. The only thing that had set him apart this day, from any other wandering villager or traveling bargainer, was that pesky thief that had stolen his well won trophy! Growling softly to himself, Marik headed for the main gate. The runt had to still be in the area for someone like Mai to be snooping about. And if she'd thought he was in town, and was mistaken, that meant he couldn't be far.
Or so Marik hoped.
~!~
Ryou tried desperately to shake Espa's grip but couldn't move much for fear of near blinding pain. Cool hazel eyes gazed condescendingly down at him from mere inches away. His attacker was securely attached over the area just surrounding his mouth and showed no signs of letting go soon. What was worse, Ryou could feel himself losing energy the longer Espa remained glued to him. Mind racing for any means of escape, Ryou settled for glaring with as much loathing as he possibly could up at the minion of his father. Espa looked amused.
The sound of rapid footfalls sounded somewhere off to their left. A moment later a youth with wild spiky blonde hair charged into view and stopped. He seemed confused as to what Ryou and Espa were up to, but quickly pushed it aside in favor of anger.
"Hey, you! I've got a bone to pick with you, kid. First you steal from me, then you nearly get me killed!"
Ryou slide his eyes sluggishly away from this new arrival and back to the smug gaze of his assailant. Espa had lost some of his cocky attitude but still remained certain he couldn't lose. His grip on Ryou's wing joints, however, loosened. This was all the help Ryou needed. He bent his spine backward, arching up, while at the same time giving a mighty flap. This sudden movement caused Espa to start slipping backward. At this moment he could have bitten down harder, but the movement directly in his face caused by Ryou's cloak and wings caused him to open his mouth in surprise.
"What the hell.....?" The intruder seemed shocked at how events were unfolding before his eyes.
Ryou swiped at his face, ignoring the pain, and wiped away some of the streaming blood there. He was all set to take off and leave them both behind when a hand caught his ankle. Espa wasn't finished with him yet. Using Ryou to pull himself back into a stable position, Espa snarled in the interruptions direction. An insulted sound was the response, but Ryou couldn't be bothered to look at that moment. Instead he jerked his foot back and forth with the hopes of shaking off his foe. No such luck.
"You will come back, snowflake," Espa purred as he dug horrendously sharp nails into the boney flesh at Ryou's ankle. His free hand twisted into a grotesque claw, preparing to ram itself into some other tender flashy part of the smaller youth's body. This was when Marik decided to introduce himself.
He shouldered Espa off, causing a nasty gash to be torn from Ryou's leg. The other lost his calm composure and scrambled after him, briefly clawing his way forward on all fours. Marik pushed his thief to the side, knocking Ryou harshly into a tree and therefore dazing him, before sidestepping quickly to avoid the charge. One curved blade was instantly in his hand. Espa rounded, breathing hard, and regrouped for a second pass. There was a mad glint in his eyes that made Marik uneasy.
"Run.....away....." Marik jerked his head sharply to the side for an instant, registered that the smaller youth had spoken, before focusing on his enemy again. Espa began to circle with a feral grin. "You can't win. He'll see you first." Marik was baffled as to what these words meant.
'See me first? What kind of crazy talk is that?' But his unsettled feeling only grew as Espa began to close in. 'Okay..... let's pretend I wanted to run. How exactly would I do that? He's blocking the path and the wood's too thick!' Marik's eyes darted back and forth before settling on the scattered items on the ground between them. Some food items had been crushed; other trinkets were broken and now worthless. But one dull sparkle caught his eye. The pin! 'That just might work.'
"Juicy little birdie has a playmate, and Espa wants to eat him all up." Espa flew forward; both hands twisted and ready to disembowel Marik. The target, however, had other plans. Marik tucked and rolled forward, snatching up his earlier prize. Then, spinning on one heel with the momentum of the roll, he stepped toward the disoriented thief.
"Air Spine!" Marik dived and caught hold of one slender foot before plunging the pin into the ground. It expanded to three times its size and hummed faintly. With a flash of white and a gut wrenching sensation, the world surrounding the pair dissolved away. Espa's screams of rage faded into nothing. They both were safe, for the moment.
~~~
Yay, there we go! I had fun writing this chapter, as weird and kinda, uh, violent as it was. And as I promised, here are my planned pairings:
Yami/Yugi
Seto/Jou (you already knew that one ~)
Malik/Marik
Ryou/Bakura
Yeah, your classic yami/hikari pairs with Seto and Jou thrown in too. But I like those, so nya *sticks out her tongue* Well, now that I've introduced them all, who would you like to see in chapter four? Yami, Seto and Jou; Yugi, Malik, Bakura and Isis; or Marik and Ryou? Send in your vote and I bet you'll see it up here next, when I get finished writing it. Oh, and can anyone guess who Ryou's attacker is? It's pretty obvious, to me at least, but I'd like to make sure everyone's on the same page. ^^ Review, review, review!