(random) Snowing outside, snowing outside, snowing outside... ::happy dance:: (/random)

Someone's been reading Thomas Hardy… I wonder if I'm getting influences. ;) Well, not too much, anyway, otherwise this chapter would probably be just description of the scenery.

Anyway. There's one part in this that I'm planning to revise, but I guess I won't keep you waiting any longer (sorry it's taken this long!) – knowing me, this revising might take really long time. So, here you are, for now.

Review responses:

Shadow-loverOB1: Thanks. :) I try to update as soon as I can… I just have so many other things to do these days…

Elle-Fate2x1-2: ::g:: Yeah, Bakura is quite good in getting to trouble. But we'll see just how honest Ryou really is… ;) Thanks for the review!

Aramis-chan: There are many great mysteries in the world… ;) I know some really good stories that don't get many reviews, and then there are… well, things that are quite crappy, but still get bunches of reviews (okay, so they are mostly of the 'omg tha was great contnue!!!!!!!!1111one' caliber... ;) )
Anyway, thanks for the review. It really made my day back then (yes… that was a crappy day). I think we'll meet Bakura in the next chapter – as well as someone who wasn't supposed to be in this fic, but who is forcing his way in. ::frown:: No manners at all.
Glad to know I'm doing okay with Seto – I was a bit worried about how to keep him in character when I started to plan this.
(Btw, your penname made me to grin. It's so… nice combination.)

Again, many thankses for Sarasusamiga for betaing!

Chapter 9

The clouds on the horizon were golden in the intense light of the setting sun. They hovered low above the sleepy meadows, which were drowning in twilight. Nothing moved except a soft breeze that traveled every now and then over the vast grasslands, making the hay swing slightly. A small road wound its way through the slightly hilly landscape, splitting it in two like a snake before disappearing into the gloom of a faraway forest.

Jou stared up at the clouds, leaning back on his golden dun horse and not really thinking about anything. The evening was peaceful and quiet; there were no sounds but the occasional whining of the wind, soft growls of the dogs, and the steady clapping of the hooves against the surface of the road. For a long time they had been riding in silence, all absorbed in their own thoughts. Absentmindedly he wondered what the others were thinking about, but in truth, he didn't really care. He was feeling strangely content, just being there, sitting on his horse and looking at the clouds. It was quite odd, considering their situation and what they were doing, but… He shrugged at his thoughts. So what. He was content and left it at that.

Seto and Ryou rode beside him, and once again he observed them from the corner of his eye. It was quite funny how the two boys avoided even looking at each other. They had been traveling for three days now, and they hadn't spoken to each other unless it was unavoidable. Jou was beginning to grow impatient. He was seriously considering locking the two into some small room and not letting them out until they had talked everything through. The only thing that kept him from following through was the distinct lack of rooms with locks – or houses for that matter – in the wilderness.

It was plain ridiculous. He wasn't sure, in the first place, if it was even such a bright idea to accompany Ryou on this quest of his. He had opposed it from the beginning, but Seto had been quite insistent, and finally he had agreed to it. He would have thought that after the trouble Seto had had talking him into this he would have grasped this chance and been a little more… straightforward with Ryou, but no. Jou turned again to look at his huntbrother, this time staring openly at the tall boy, who in his turn was staring intently at the bushes by the roadside. As for Ryou, he seemed very interested in the mane of his seal bay horse, almost black as the evening grew darker.

Jou shook his head. He had thought that the most difficult part of this journey would be either the beginning of it or the end: that is, convincing his uncle that their really good friend was in big troubles and they really had to leave to help him (and no, they couldn't exactly explain what was going on but, yes, of course they knew what they were doing) or facing gods knew what once they found this mysterious brother. Now it seemed that the journey itself would form the most exasperating part of this 'adventure', as he mockingly called it.

These thoughts were ruining his good mood. With a sigh he turned his gaze towards the forest. They were traveling slowly in gait at the moment, but the forest was already getting close. Once they reached it they would stop for the night, and in the morning they would continue on their way… to wherever it was they were going. Ryou seemed to know. At least, he was leading their way and was always sure which direction they should take. Still, he claimed that he didn't have any idea of where they were going… It made no sense whatsoever. Jou still suspected that the pale boy hadn't told them everything. As they rode on he eyed the boy warily. Sure, Ryou didn't look like any dangerous and treacherous criminal, but looks could be deceiving. He had made up his mind to keep an eye on him. Anyway, he was afraid that Seto, who was usually the more mistrusting one of them, would be a little too blind when it came to his newly found love.

That thought ruined what remained of his good mood, and it made him feel guilty.

C'mon now… I can't still be jealous, can I?

He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating on his feelings and ignoring the outside world.

Damn. I guess I can.

He knew very well that it was ridiculous, and that he didn't even have any right to be jealous in the first place, but… he just couldn't help it. For years Seto had been the most important person in his life and he in Seto's – with the possible exception of Mokuba – and then some untrustworthy little freak popped out of nowhere to steal his huntbrother away, just like that. On second thought… maybe he had some justification for his jealousy. He stole an angry glance at the white-haired boy who was still staring at the mane of his horse.

I don't know what you're plotting, but I can tell you one thing… I'm really going to keep an eye on you. Make one wrong move, and you're in for it.

-

The flames of the campfire licked the dry wood, ate it hungrily and cast dancing shadows on the nearby trees. They sat around the fire, three bent figures eating their supper, each one positioned as far from the others as possible. The equilateral triangle they formed couldn't have been more perfect if the realm's best mathematicians had calculated it.

Seto munched his bread, wondering absentmindedly if they could behave more childishly if they really tried. He understood that Ryou wanted to keep his distance; after all, the pale boy hadn't been that enthusiastic about having them with him. The only reason he had agreed to it was that Seto had threatened to drag him directly to Yami if he hadn't. No, he didn't wonder why Ryou preferred sitting on his own side of the fire, deep in his own thoughts. It was he himself and his hunter who were the reason for his utter astonishment.

All right, maybe that wasn't exactly true either.

There's really nothing surprising in Jou being childish… but that I would be too…

He shook his head angrily, placing his cup down as he finished eating. He knew that he and Jou should have a chat – yes, and he knew that he and Ryou should have one too – but he wasn't in the mood for it now. He frowned at the other two boys, angry he was letting them have such an influence on his feelings. He gathered his blanket around himself and lay down, turning his back on the others.

"Good night."

"Night," the others muttered, and he heard them rustling with their own blankets before silence took over.

-

Seto stirred restlessly as a bright ray of the morning sun touched his eyes. He turned over sleepily, away from the light, and took a look over the camp. Jou was nowhere in sight, but Ryou was still sleeping on the other side of the dead fire, cuddled up and looking totally…

No. Stop that. Don't think about it.

He got up stretching a little. Wonder where Jou is… I hope he's not gone too far… Quite involuntarily his eyes drifted to Ryou again, and this time he did not turn away. He is beautiful, he thought, vaguely aware that beautiful wasn't an adjective usually used of men, but… it was the only word he could think of to describe…

Suddenly a fragment of a dream he had had this night came to his mind and he found himself blushing wildly, turning his gaze quickly away.

Gods… I didn't realize that my situation was that bad… I… think I'm going to see if I can find Jou.

Hastily he left the camp and the sleeping boy behind, wondering how he would ever be able to look him in the eyes again and not think about that.

Finding Jou was not any difficult task; the blond hunter had not wandered far away from the camp. He was sitting on a big rock, leaning against a tree that was growing beside it, playing absentmindedly with a little stick and staring up at the tree branches. As Seto walked toward him, he glanced at his huntbrother coldly, and before the brunet boy had time to say anything, he stated flatly, "Go back to the camp."

"What?"

Jou turned to glare at him again. "Go back to the camp and talk with him."

Seto blinked in confusion. "Why now?" he finally asked.

Jou rolled his eyes leaning his head back against the tree. "Because… if I have to witness a dream like that one more time, I'm going to do something drastic."

Seto blinked again, feeling his cheeks turn hot as realization dawned at him. He and Jou had shared dreams sometimes earlier too, but they had been quite innocent ones.

"Go back there, before I knock you over and drag you there," Jou said dangerously calmly, snapping the little stick in his hand into two.

Seto nodded once, almost meekly, before turning on his heels and all but fleeing from the place.

I can't believe this… As if it weren't bad enough to have such a dream, why did he have to have it too? His only consolation was that he knew that Jou wouldn't remember as much of the dream as he did – and he didn't remember much to begin with. But still… He shook his head angrily as he entered the camp. Talk about bad luck…

In the camp Ryou had woken up and was looking wildly around. As Seto came into his sight he appeared almost… relieved? That's strange, Seto thought, I'd think that he'd be just as happy if we disappeared somewhere.

"Morning," he said to the boy, who returned his greeting quietly before beginning to fold up his blanket. Seto stared at him in silence, trying to regain his still quite shaken composure. After a while Ryou glanced at him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked hesitantly, and Seto shook quickly his head.

"No… nothing…" he bit his lip, suddenly nervous. 'Talk to him'? And what am I supposed to say? He took a deep breath. "Uh… I think that… we really should have a little talk…"

Ryou frowned. "I have told you everything I know, really, I…"

"No, that's not what I meant," Seto said shaking his head. "I mean that… we should talk about… us."

"Us?" Ryou looked up at him, totally bewildered, and Seto sighed inwardly. Gods, doesn't he have a clue what I'm talking about?

"Yes." He nodded. "You know… I mean, uh… Could I ask you something?"

He waited till Ryou nodded, and continued then. "What… what do you… think about me?"

That wasn't exactly the question he had been going to ask, but it was the only one his tongue was able to form at the moment.

Ryou blinked at him, looking quite perplexed. "I… uh, I… I think… you've been very kind to me, helping me so much, and I think that…" The pale boy swallowed. Something made him blush and he turned quickly away. "I think that you're nice," he finished flatly.

"…Nice? I mean, uh…" Nice? And why does it make you blush like that, pray tell? Just nice, is it… He clicked his tongue angrily. "And is that all?"

Ryou glanced at him hesitantly, still quite red, and turned then back to his neatly folded blanket, refolding it a little more neatly.

Seto cleared his throat. He wasn't used to this. He hadn't really had to talk about his feelings ever before. Besides Jou and Mokuba there hadn't been anyone in his life with whom he would have wanted to talk about how he felt, and as for those two… He didn't usually talk about his deepest feelings with Mokuba, the boy was a little too small for that, and Jou… He didn't need words for telling his hunter how he felt, the other boy could feel it through their bond.

"So… what would you say if I told you that I think you're beautiful?" he asked quietly without thinking. When the other boy started and turned to look at him with wide eyes he bit his lip softly. He hadn't been planning going to say that… but there was no harm done, really. The other's startled expression made him feel a little better giving him the impression that he was the one in control of the situation.

"If I told you that you're beautiful, intelligent, charming…" he smirked slightly when the pale boy blushed again. "Not to mention that the way you blush is quite adorable."

Ryou quickly pressed his hands to his burning cheeks. "What are you talking about?" he muttered.

"What am I talking about…?" Seto repeated softly. "I guess I'm talking about the fact that I'm falling in love with you."

"Love?" Ryou blinked few times rapidly, like a night bird in daylight. "Oh."

"…Is that all you have to say?"

"I…" Ryou sighed, looking down. "I don't know. There has been so much going on lately…but… I guess I am a little attracted to you or something…" His cheeks were flushing up again, and he looked quite annoyed about that fact.

"So you have feelings toward me…" Seto's voice was very soft as he moved a little closer to the other boy.

"I… uh…" Ryou raised his eyes from the ground and looked up at Seto, feeling himself more unsure than he ever had before.

Looking down at the brown, confused eyes Seto felt himself melting instantly. "I'm sorry," he said. "We don't have to talk about this now if you don't want to. We can talk more after this all is over…"

Ryou nodded, his relief showing from his face. "I think I'd really like to have some time to think about this, especially now that I… I know… how you feel." He dropped his gaze to the ground and fingered his blanket uncertainly, almost starting to refold it again.

Seto looked at him thoughtfully. This little discussion hasn't gone that badly after all. He couldn't help but feel vaguely surprised that there was even a chance that Ryou would return his feelings. The idea made him a little light-headed. As he watched Ryou packing away his blanket he wondered if he was dreaming again.

"Aren't you guys finished yet?" Jou's voice came from the forest interrupting his thoughts. The blond boy came into view from behind the trees, looking at them questioningly.

Seto nodded. "Yes… I guess we are, for the most part."

"So, what's the result? Are you a couple now?"

"Not exactly…"

"Oh? Does that mean I still have to suffer from your dreams?" Seto glanced angrily at the hunter, just in time to catch a little smirk on his lips.

"You keep quiet about that…"

"You keep your dreams to yourself…"

-

Ryou looked at them, feeling more confused than he had for a long time – and that was saying a lot. He was just about to ask what they were talking about, when the sound of hooves clapping against the ground reached their ears. They all turned to look and saw a hooded figure riding a dapple-gray horse approaching them slowly.

Seto and Jou stepped a little forward, eyeing the quiet figure warily. The rider brought the horse to a stop only a few feet away from them. Raising her hand she pushed her hood away, revealing long black hair, streaked with few grayish brands. She was middle-aged, probably in her late forties, and there was something cold in her eyes.

"Good that you're awake," she said, and her voice made Ryou start. There was something strangely familiar in it. "You'd better get ready, we have a long way to travel today."

Seto frowned. "I'm sorry, milady, but I don't quite understand what you mean. First of all… why would we take orders from a complete stranger?"

The woman smiled slightly. "Ah, but I'm not a complete stranger, am I, Ryou?"

"What?" Ryou started again, staring at the woman with wide eyes. "Evayne…?"

Both Seto and Jou turned to look at the white haired boy whose jaw was about to drop to the ground.

"You know her?" Seto asked, and Ryou nodded slowly.

"I… I think so," he said. "But… what's happened?! You… you look as if you were twenty years older than you were a week ago…"

"Twenty one years, I think, if I remember correctly when we met the first time… it really was some time ago. Don't let that bother you… think about it as my… curse, if you wish." She smiled oddly. "You were right when we spoke last time, Ryou. It was no accident that we met. But I see that you have not told your friends about me…" She glanced at Seto and Jou who were staring at her with growing confusion. "My name is Evayne a'Nolan. I am here to help you to find this artifact you are chasing. And it is important that we find it; there are other powers interested in it too, and it would be extremely dangerous if it ended up in their hands."

"Other powers? What powers?" Seto asked, trying to overcome his confusion.

"The kin," Evayne replied quietly, and the three boys shivered slightly.

The kin. The demon kin, to be more precise. Jou took a furtive glance at Ryou, wondering if it was too late to change his mind and return home.

'Yes, it is. If the Allasakari are involved in this, we can't just walk away.'

Jou shrugged angrily. Sometimes he just hated it when his huntbrother was right.

"And what do the kin want with this… artifact?" Seto asked, watching the elder woman suspiciously.

She smiled a little. "I do not claim to know the plans of the kin – although I wish I did. Still… the artifact in question is powerful, more powerful than you probably realize. It does belong to the Goddess of Death, after all."

Seto frowned a little and opened his mouth to question her further but Ryou cut him off.

"I… I just don't understand," he all but cried out. Taking a deep breath he continued more calmly. "When we talked last time you didn't seem to be very enthusiastic about helping me – actually I was pretty sure I'd never see you again. And now you appear like this out of nowhere… why?"

Evayne smiled at him oddly, with a little touch of sadness. "When we talked, I was young and confused – and scared too, I admit. And I didn't believe that your problems had anything to do with my… mission, so to say… and that was all I was interested about then."

"And now you've found out that there is a connection, haven't you?" Ryou asked quietly. "Would you be here if you hadn't?"

Evayne looked at him with an unreadable expression. "I do not decide where I go to, and when," she said softly.

Jou snorted. "You don't? And who does, pray tell?" Suddenly his eyes widened. "Now… don't tell me you're one of those crystal-freaks too…"

Seto shot a sharp glance at him as Evayne blinked in confusion.

"Seer," Seto said. "He means to ask if you're a seer."

"Oh." Evayne laughed a little, surprising them. For some reason she didn't appear to be a woman who laughed often. "Yes, I am a seer, but that is not what I meant. But that's enough talking… We have to be on our way now."

Seto looked at Ryou questioningly. "You're the only one here who knows anything at all about her," he said quietly. "What do you want to do?"

Ryou looked alternately at Seto and Evayne, troubled. "I…" He was silent for a while. "I think we can trust her. We'll go with her," he decided finally. "Or… at least I'll go with her," he added hastily, not wanting to order anyone around. "You can do what you want, of course."

"We'll come with you," Seto said, nodding. "Let's get ready."

With that he walked to his horse and began to saddle the blue roan. Jou eyed him sullenly as he followed his example. 'Come with you', sure we will. It's so nice when you ask my opinion too. He threw the saddle on his horse's back and the animal made a sudden move, surprised by the rough treatment.

"Hush, boy," he muttered as he put the bridle on. "Sorry about that. It's just that my huntbrother is sometimes such a goddamned jerk, y'know…" The horse snorted, impatient to get on the move, and Jou took it as a sign of agreement. "Yeah, that's right. Smart boy, aren't you…"

"Jou! Are you coming?"

He glanced at others who were already on horseback and waiting for him.

"Sure," he muttered, as he mounted his horse.

The foursome set out on their way, Evayne taking the lead and Jou staying at the tail.

One more stranger for me to keep an eye on… He shook his head angrily. And the only one who thinks he can trust her is someone I definitely don't trust. Just great.

-

"We will take a shortcut," Evayne said, as they rode briskly on.

Seto glanced at her sharply. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing dangerous," Evayne waved her hand dismissingly. "Not this time of year."

Jou and Ryou stared at her in confusion, while understanding began to dawn in Seto's eyes.

"Do you mean…"

"The Summer road." Evayne nodded. "It's not dangerous, as I said, and we're really in a hurry."

"And when will we enter it?"

Evayne raised her head a little, looking up at the sky as if deep in thought. Just when Seto was going to repeat his question, she answered him.

"Soon. Once we're at the right place at the right time."

They kept on riding until midday. Then they finally stopped to eat something, for which Jou's stomach was eternally grateful.

Evayne quickly finished her meal and left to examine the nearby surroundings. Young people these days are a little too distrustful for their own good, she thought amusedly as she felt three pairs of suspicious eyes in her back. Taking a look around she nodded. This place was perfect.

"If you're ready, get up. We have to be on our way," she shouted to them. The boys got up from the ground, gathered their things and walked to Evayne who was quietly muttering something.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Jou whispered to Seto, eyeing the woman, who was quickly turning quite witchlike in his eyes.

Seto shrugged. "It shouldn't be dangerous, as she said. Although I'm wondering exactly who – or what – she really is… No ordinary seer would have the powers that are needed to open this road. Anyway, I don't think we have many choices… you'd better call your dogs here."

Ryou watched them silently as Jou called for his pack, keeping his thoughts to himself. He was a little worried about this – nothing concerning the old rites was totally safe. Still, this gave him a chance to reach his brother soon, and the thought of demons had unnerved him more than he cared to admit.

Suddenly Evayne stepped back and started to speak out loud.

"We have come, free of coercion, to the hidden road, to walk it in Summer. I am Evayne a'Neaamis; I have walked the Oracle's road, I have seen the Oracle's vision, I have made the Choice. The hidden path cannot be denied me. You ask for power and I speak with its voice. I bid thee: Open!"

And suddenly the world twisted in their eyes.

A/N: Okay… Evayne's spell in the end is an adaptation of her spell in Hunter's Death (on page 37 to be exact.) And I say right away that I'm going to take quite great liberties with the Summer road. It has been so long since I read the books that I don't exactly remember what was told about it there… I reread that part of Hunter's Death where they traveled the road in Winter, but… well, I'm not really sure about how things work when it's summer. ::sweat drop::

Moving on to the horses… I just thought, in the case there's someone out there who's interested and who doesn't know such colors as 'golden dun' or 'blue roan' (I saw a horse of this color some time ago, boy wasn't it beautiful, had to give it to Seto… ::g::), here are some pics where you can see the colors: here for Jou's horse (which is dark metallic golden dun to be exact) ht m (fourth pic from the bottom, just take the spaces away). To see Seto's horse, change 'dun' to 'roan' in the URL (the first pic is quite close to the color of the horse I saw, except that it was prettier), Ryou's: change it to 'bay' (the horse at the bottom of the page), and Evayne's: 'grey' (the first pic is closest to what I had in my mind).

Hmm… some of these colors are quite unusual… does that make my horses Mary-Sues? ::sweat drop:: (Or Mare-y Sues, as Sara said… ::g::)

(Yeah… can't you just tell that I like horses?)

Hey, before I forget…! I started a YGO horror community some time ago, and since it still isn't appearing in the list of all YGO C2's doesn't seem to like me…) I thought to do some advertising. So, if you're interested in good horror fics, go take a look. :) (And look at the end of my bio for a list of R-rated horror recommendations.)