A/N: Finally got this done… Blaaaarg… It's a busy life, oh yes! So, without further ado, or 'Stalling', as some choose to see it- (CoughWillowwindCough)- here's the chapter, in witch we see the gathering of forces! Wheee!
Disclaimer: Same old, same old… The closest I come to owning YGO is the Manga I bought from Forbidden Planet in the summer. Meh.
Oh, I'm told that we're allowed reviews again, provided they're at the bottom, so that's where you'll find them! Sheesh…
Twenty-Two: Drastic Measures II: Fight (Yes, Willowwind, No more 'Stalling'. Hmmph.)
Now you feel it, now you don't.
Kaho gasped in surprise, feeling a slight tug on her senses as something was abruptly cut off. She searched her senses desperately, but it was gone, and it worried her greatly. The sense of muses coming down to Earth, the feel of all five cities was always at the back of her mind. As her powers waned, logically, so did the sense. But to have a city cut off so abruptly like that…
She knew it wasn't Somewhere. If it had been her home town, she would have had far more then the small 'tug' at her mind. She tried to figure out which city had gone, because as far as she could tell, it was Wherever, which was a silly idea, the capital would never go down…
Unless something was really, really wrong.
She didn't hesitate any longer, grabbing a jacket and heading out the flat. She didn't know where she was planning on going, but she had to get there fast.
Her first thought was to make some contact with Azreal. So, pulling out her mobile and flicking through the phone book, she waited worriedly for an answer.
That would have been far more then a 'tug' for her weakened friend. She just hoped an answer would come.
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Azreal leapt to her feet, looking around her desperately. Uncertainly, Seto stood to. Somehow, he didn't think she was going to find Wherever around here…
Screaming in frustration, Azreal sought an exit a final time, and, seeing none, running blindly at the side, scrabbling for a hold and attempting to climb even as she slid backwards.
"Az!" Seto protested, grabbing her arms and swinging her round to face him. "Would you care to explain what's going on!"
"I have to get back to Domino!" She spat at him. "I have to find out what's happening!"
"You have more idea then I do." Seto pointed out, stopping her from pulling away. "Calm down!"
"I'm not going to calm down till I find a way out of here and know what's happened to Wherever!" She shouted, finally jerking out of his grasp. "How am I supposed to calm down! I don't know, Seto, maybe you don't care about your hometown, but I do, I was born there and I grew up there and if my home is in trouble I'd like to know what's happening to it!"
Seto was a little surprised. From what he could gather, she was sensing something bad about Wherever, or the lack thereof, but… her home? That was what she had said. 'My home'… He swallowed. "Well, you're not going to do any good running around without thought! If you remember, we couldn't find an exit! So we have to stop and think about this!"
"Screw that." She spat back, annoyed. "I'll fly out of here!" Her wings appeared again, faster then ever before, fuelled by her panic, her concern for her home.
Seto was getting even more concerned. If he remembered rightly, she couldn't fly… she had said herself, the average Muse couldn't fly more then a few metres up or along. Their bones were solid; they were simply too heavy for any distance. But Az didn't seem to care as she pushed herself into the air.
Seto moved fast, and when she fell, he was ready. They both went tumbling, but at least she hadn't broken anything. The wings disappeared. Seto left her alone for a moment, and when she seemed a little more controlled, he sat up and waited for her to speak.
"Sorry…" She muttered. "Sorry…" She looked up at him helplessly. "…I'm scared for it."
"I know." Seto sighed. "…I'll take you back to Domino, if you'll explain on the way."
She nodded, still shaking. She had flown higher, and faster, then ever before, her emotion pushing her on, but it still hadn't been enough. And now that she was thinking again, she realised she had nothing but the most primitive sense to tell her what was happening. And it was just whispering 'Bad' over and over in the back of her mind…
Azreal buried her head in her hands, trying to drown it out. She should have known… There were so many muses coming down that morning, her sense had been going crazy, that's why she'd been so hyper… and, by the same token, part of the reason she was unable to see past her despair now… She knew she had to see past it, and think logically, but she couldn't, because… she was stupid. Pathetic. She should've known she couldn't have made it, not being stuck at the half way house between humanity and Muse kind… She couldn't save Wherever, whatever was happening to it, she couldn't even get out of this hole! Man, she was so pathetic. And stupid; stupid for being stuck, stupid for not realising, stupid for hoping she wouldn't die… stupid, stupid, stupid…
Seto watched her, calculating. If he was any judge of these sudden mood swings (Not that he was an expert), this was not just the normal emotional trauma, not for Az, not even for losing her…home. Now, emotional trauma was something he knew about, and he was certain this was too much. So, that meant that the shock of having her home town so abruptly cut off was affecting her in more ways then she probably knew herself. So she probably wasn't going to be thinking of escape plans any time soon.
Pity, because, for once, he wasn't sure he could get out of this one alone…
Fortunately, he wasn't.
"Hey, are you guys down there?" Mokuba called from somewhere way, way, above them, along with the beeping of the Chocobo theme that could only come from Azreal's phone.
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Yugi stood very still. He couldn't see them, but they were there, one had materialised and told him.
The Game Shop was full of Muses. That, to his eyes, were invisible- except a slight shimmer if he squinted very hard. He toyed with the idea of crossing the shop, all the way from here, behind the counter, to put the closed sign on the door, wondering if he could do so without walking through any of his… guests. He wasn't sure what to call them. It wasn't like he'd been given any choice. They were told that, as he knew about the Muses, they would be seeking temporary sanctuary there. He didn't know how long 'temporary' would be. Nor would they 'authorised' to give any more details.
Yugi slumped over the counter, groaning, thusly cutting Yami off mid-sentence. His friend was convinced that the Muses had some significance. Trying to convince him that a 'magical' entity had nothing to do with him was impossible. Yugi couldn't believe that this was what the summer break was meant for- Working in the shop and arguing with Yami while his grandfather was off on some OAP holiday he'd won on the radio. And now these… refugees. It was his responsibility to deal with all… well, most- of this stuff, but wasn't summer about escaping responsibility? Whatever happened to hanging out with Téa and the rest of his friends? Téa… He hardly saw her outside school now… Not since Ryou left, actually. And the time before that was the summer festival. He smiled slightly. Watching the fireworks with his friends, and the unbelievable moment when Téa had reached out and taken his hand…
Woah, he thought. Better stop there. He had seen it a million times in his head, but in reality, it had been followed by nothing. He and Téa were always 'Just Friends', nothing more. So he was here, in a shop full of invisible people. All that lay ahead was the prospect of working the shop's full hours, even when there was no-one in there. Worse yet, he had weeks of this stretching out ahead of him- it was only Sunday lunchtime… They had to make a living, but…
"I wonder what the others are doing…?" Yugi sighed. It had to be more fun then this, that was for sure… Unless they had got invaded to- after all, he wasn't the only one who knew about Muses.
Right on que, Téa burst through the door. She didn't look like she was having more fun. In fact, she looked like she was about to cry as she shut the door behind her and looked at him helplessly.
"…Let's go out the back." Yugi said, instinctively. There had never been a worse time, but he would not turn anyone away. "We'll talk out there. In private." He added, for the benefit of any Muses behind the shop, as they walked through. He hoped they all had the sense to move out the way as he went to see what this was all about.
The results would be rather…surprising.
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Anna had splashed after Seto some time ago, and Mokuba hadn't followed. Heck, whatever they were getting up to, he probably didn't need to see. But they had been gone rather a long time… scratch that, a very long time. Doug and Ruby didn't seem too concerned, but Mokuba was. Call it intuition, call it a brother sense, but whatever it was, it wouldn't leave him alone. Seto would never stay in one place for this long, not even with his girlfriend.
However, as no-one else was worried, he needed an excuse to go and look for them, otherwise he'd be told just to leave them to it. Scowling, Mokuba skimmed rocks out over the water. What was he to do…?
And, as if to answer his prayers, Anna's phone, lying on the table, started emitting it's cheery tone. Before anyone else could react, Mokuba grabbed it and ran off in the direction his brother and Ann had headed off in, calling that he'd take it to her even as he stooped down with his free hand to pull off his shoes and roll up his trousers to wade through the waters and take a short cut.
And, all this time, even as he climbed the hill, beginning to wish he'd brought his inhaler as he'd told Seto he had, the phone continued to ring. Whoever was on the other end sure was persistent.
Or desperate.
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Joey was under the desk, sorting out the wiring for his computer, when it happened.
Someone pressed the buzzer. Joey jumped in surprise, banging his head on the desk, biting his lip to stop the threatened curse.
As far as anyone was supposed to know, Ryou had left. This flat was empty. So why, and who, was knocking on the door? Joey had taken the utmost care not to be found out- he'd just stayed here as it was, sleeping on the sofa on Friday night, and then, on Saturday, he'd waited until his dad was sure to be out to go back and shove some possessions in a rucksack. The plan was to move in bit by bit, so he had only taken what he'd really needed. And, today, he had transported his computer. Which had been easier said then done. But with a little help from Duke, (He wouldn't mind Joey 'borrowing' his car when he was looking the other way… That is, too busy to ask) He'd managed to do it without anyone seeing him, or so he'd thought.
The person pressed the buzzer again impatiently.
"Joseph Wheeler, you'd better get this door open right now!"
Joey blinked in surprise, but went to open the door. "Mai…?" He asked.
"Who does it look like?" She sighed, exasperated, sliding past him through the half-open door and inside.
"…How did you know I was here?" Joey said haltingly, trying hard not to think about how close she'd been when she pushed through.
"You told 'Ren, and she told me." Mai said, simply.
"I told her not to tell anyone!" Joey wailed.
"No," She shook a finger at him. "You told her not to tell your mother, because she'd want you to move in with her instead. A good idea. So she didn't tell your mother. She told me."
"But…Okay, next question!" Joey sighed, knowing she had him there. "What are you doing here?"
She rolled her eyes, moving inside and plopping down on Ryou's- his sofa. "I came to see if you were alright, of course." She raised her eyebrow. "Despite what you seem to think, I'm not completely heartless. I can't tell you how chuffed I was when 'Ren rang and told me you'd left. I've been hoping you would for ages! You've been locked up with that-" Here, the air turned blue "-For far too long!"
He sat down next to her. "Oh… well… thanks for caring…"
"You're welcome." She replied, kissing him. Mai Valentine was not known for beating about the bush.
Not that he was complaining. He'd waited long enough… He had hoped for so long… Especially since the summer festival. That had been a good night for them all, when he'd finally summoned up the courage to put an arm around her, when she hadn't pushed him away… But it hadn't come to anything. Until now. Partly, it was worth the wait. Partly, it was terrible that he'd had to wait this long.
And, a few minutes later, when the buzzer went again- unknown to them, a bunch of Muses coming to find somewhere to hide- he didn't go to answer the door.
You could say he was a little preoccupied.
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"Mokuba!" Seto yelled back, urgently. "We fell down here!"
"I guessed from the big hole in the canopy." Mokuba sounded like we he was laughing. Of course, he didn't know the intensity of the situation. "You need some help?"
"If you'd be so kind." Mokuba laughed harder. "Go back to the camp and get Doug." Seto continued. "He has been down here, he must know the way out!"
Surprised at the urgency in his brother's voice, Mokuba nodded, forgetting Seto couldn't see him, and hurried back in the direction of the camp. Anna hadn't said anything… he hoped she wasn't hurt…
Azreal was not physically hurt, that was true, bar the malting of her wings; but the events seemed to be clouding her mind. She wasn't herself. And she was no use to Seto like this. He was a man of actions, not of words, but as he was the only one here, he'd have to talk her out of it. But, looking at her snivelling on the ground, while they were effectively stuck in a hole, something was going on with what she evidently still thought of as where she belonged, he was in no mood to be gentle.
"Az." He said, deceptively calm. "Mokuba's getting your dad. He should know a way out of here, and then I'll take you back to Domino, if that's what you need."
She said nothing.
"Az, answer me." He commanded. "Are you listening to a word I'm saying? We're going to get out of here, and then-"
"I heard you." She sniffed, not looking up. "But I don't see the point in leaving. No-one would mind if I stayed down here. And it's not like I could help anyways."
Seto rolled his eyes. Oh, great. So, it was going to be one of those moments.
"We don't have time for this!" He snapped. "You still haven't explained what's going on, but if we're going to save your Wherever then you're going to have to stop the mood swings and get on with it!"
"Heh. Why should I? It's not like I could save it anyway. They didn't even like me…"
Seto sighed. He really couldn't deal with this. He needed some way to snap her out of this. Had it been anyone else, he would just have slapped or hit them, perhaps thrown water on them. But he couldn't bring himself to do it, however much she needed it.
So he did the next best thing, kissing her harshly and quickly. When he pulled away, she looked at him in surprise, unconsciously touching her lips as if it had been the first time.
"You've got to get it together." Seto told her, staring her down. "There's work to be done. This isn't you. Okay, sure, you've had… insecurities… before, but this is over the top and we don't have time for this! You want to save the city! Then you need to stop this!" As she opened her mouth to protest, he continued all the faster. "And don't give me that stuff about you not being able to do it! This isn't you, so whatever's getting to you, deal with it fast! I did not learn to love a quitter!"
She stared at him in surprise, but somehow, he could see the determination back. She looked a little confused as to exactly what was going on, but whatever had been gripping her brain had gone. "Seth…"
"Seto? Ann? You okay down there!" Doug called from high above, and Seto stood to answer him and find the exit, leaving Az to compose herself.
She'd need to be careful. It would seem the 'aftershocks' of the city being cut off were still around. She shivered as she remembered how she had been held in the grip of those cold thoughts, what people had been trying to tell her all her life but what she had actually believed this time… She had, as Seto had put it, had 'insecurities' but she had never thought that her life was… worthless.
But that was all over now. Seto had dragged her, kicking and screaming, out of it. Those few minutes she'd spent in such despair had been enough. Now, racing through the mental wards she had been taught, normally used when first entering the field to prepare for the effects of being further away from home but useful here, she had her game face on. But what really bothered her was what he'd said…
'I did not learn to love a quitter'. That's what he'd said. Love a quitter. But then, did that mean that he actually…
Meanwhile, Seto hadn't spared a second thought to what he'd said, hadn't even realised, as he followed Doug's directions to get them out of there.
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A bell rang as someone entered the shop, but Yugi didn't bother to go out, hoping they'd leave. Some things were more important.
There were several signs that something was wrong, and Yugi knew Téa well enough to notice them. For a start, she hadn't rung before coming round, which was normally against everything she believed about manners- she believed dropping round without notice was rude.
Secondly was the fact that, when she had entered, she hadn't greeted him enthusiastically the second she'd set foot through the door. She hadn't even been able to force a smile… Something was very wrong.
And now, that they had gone into the living room behind the shop, she had not sat in her favourite place- the arm chair by the radiator and window, where she always sat, choosing instead to sit down next to him on the sofa. Perhaps she was easy to read, but Yugi knew this meant he had some serious comforting to do. He didn't ask what was wrong, despite Yami, sounded worried, pressuring him to do so. He knew Téa would tell them… him… in her own time.
"…I don't know what to do." She chocked out helplessly, after a long silence. It seemed a strange way to begin, but that was why she was here, after all. Yugi had known the second she'd got through the door that something was up. No point building up to it. "I don't know what to do, so… I came here."
Again, Yugi said nothing. She was obviously going to tell him anyway. Why push her? Let her do this on her terms…
"My dance school…" She took a deep, gasping breath. "I didn't get in… on the scholarship." She looked up despairingly. "That means no more dance lessons for Téa."
"No…" Yugi muttered, surprised. Above him, he knew Yami was in equal shock. Téa always moved with such grace, and it always seemed as she lived her life to a soundtrack, that even movement was choreographed to a hidden beat that only she knew. The songs were there, written in her eyes and the way she went about things. That she had not got in… was unthinkable. "What happened?"
Téa shrugged uselessly. "I don't know. It was just everything, and I…" She rubbed her face tiredly. "A better question would be: What am I going to do now? I mean, if I can't even get into the dance school here, I have no chance at New York, or Paris, or Moscow, or London or any of the big dance places! And there's no way I can afford to pay for lessons…" She was crying now, having finally given in to the threatening tears. "I think maybe it's time to just give up, you know? It was a pipe dream anyway, I guess, if I'm honest…"
"Don't say that!" Yugi shouted, a little more harshly then intended. Téa blinked in surprise. He smiled at her. "I mean, I have no idea why they rejected you, but it doesn't matter! You remember Johnny Steps? And what you said to him? That he shouldn't let one bad audition kill his dream? Téa… you shouldn't ever give up, you know. Grandpa always says that when you cease to dream, you cease to live."
"But…" Téa wobbled. "I have no idea what to do… I just don't know…" Seeking comfort, she went and hugged him. Hesitantly, he hugged her back. With his arms around her, she felt better already. It was silly, but here, with her old friend, she felt nothing would ever hurt again.
Meanwhile, Yugi was in furious debate with his darker half.
/Yami…? Maybe you should handle this… I mean, it's you she likes, so maybe you'd be more comfort…/
/Perhaps. But she didn't come here to see me. And I happen to think you're wrong./
/Well we have to do something!/
To his surprise, Yami started laughing a little sadly. /I think you'll suffice./ He replied, and would say no more even as he watched.
Yugi scowled. Some alter ego he turned out to be. He still had to deal with this alone… He knew Téa would not accept money from him outright, she was too proud for that. But maybe…
"Well…" He said, hesitantly. "You could… If you wanted, that is… Well, you could cover some of my shifts here… I mean, don't feel obliged, but the offer's open, so if you want it, it's-"
"Thank you." Téa whispered, pulling away just ever so slightly, so she could straighten her head and look at him. What happened next could not have been more natural, more fluent, but it was still a surprise when she brought her lips up to meet his.
It was even more surprising, even to the boy himself, when he pushed her away. He hurried to explain before she could say anything.
"Téa…" He began, as his other half (Not Yami for once, the other part of him) demanded to know what on Earth he was playing at. "Look… You've always made it very clear where we stood. 'Just friends', right?" He gave a ghost of a smile as she looked away, embarrassed. He took her hand, trying to get her to hear him out. "My feelings aside, you've never wanted this. And now, you're upset, and maybe you're not thinking for the best…I don't know. Y'know, I was here, I helped you out, maybe… But I don't want you to do anything you don't really want to, not when you're not thinking right."
Téa suddenly started laughing. Yugi, kind and considerate as ever. "You want to know what I want? Well, until just now, I didn't know myself. I tried to tell myself…Oh, forget it. Yugi, you know as well as I do that we have never been 'just friends', despite what we've tried to tell ourselves. Okay? So stop raising hurdles already!"
"…And…what about Yami…?" Yugi asked hesitantly. He didn't want her to make the mistake of thinking they were more or less the same person… He couldn't bear it if she thought he was something he wasn't.
"Yami?" Téa repeated, coming close again. "Now, we really are 'just friends'…"
The friend in question was retreating as far as possible. His hikari needed some privacy, after all. In truth, he was a little disappointed at Téa's choice, but it was by no means unexpected. After all, it was about time those two became an item! And here, at last, was a game he had been beaten at… Love's rules truly were incomprehensible.
But hey, he had already known that. Look at who Kaiba ended up with.
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Seto felt a little foolish when it turned out the valley was stupidly easy to get out of. Due to some natural miracle, where the trees grew the most thickly, the pull of gravity causing them to strain forward, the tops of the roots had surfaced, intertwining into a thick lattice, making it a simple matter of half-walking, half-climbing up. It was steep, but not too strenuous, leading out to the oppisite side of the canyon. And this area was about five paces (Or seven, if you counted with Azreal's smaller stride) away from where they'd stopped looking. If they had gone a little further, then they wouldn't have been stuck down there for so long…
Not that it hadn't been just a little bit nice. Seto almost thought he could still feel the ghostly brush of her feathers on his bare arms, from where her wings had wrapped around him. Harshly, he clamped down on the thoughts. Okay, so, since Azreal he had lightened up a little. Heck, he'd lightened a lot- but now, he was getting sloppy. This would take the relentlessness he'd spent years in, if he was going to help Az to…
That was a point. He still didn't know what was going on. So, as he helped her over the top and finally out, and as they raced down towards the camp, to meet the others where the two banks met, he decided to ask.
Meanwhile, Azreal was deciding that her flip-flops had been a very bad choice of footwear, and suddenly took them off, running barefoot through the wood, ignoring the dirt and mud, stones and thorns, that were digging into her feet as she went.
"Az!" He said, not slowing his pace. She didn't seem to want to go any slower then the fastest she could. "Would you mind explaining what's going on now?"
"I'll tell you when I know." She replied grimly.
"And when will that be?"
"When I make contact with Wherever."
They ran the rest of the way in silence, not even stopping when they passed their respective families.
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Seto was outside, giving some form of vague explanation that mainly consisted of why he and Anna would be leaving momentarily. Meanwhile, Azreal was running round her tent, trying to find something more appropriate in the way of footwear, and grabbing whatever looked like it might come in handy. Mokuba's head appeared at the opening, looking mildly irritated.
"Someone really wants to talk to you." He said, handing over her still-ringing mobile, encased in the sheep fascia. "This is the fifth or sixth time they've called in as many minutes.
"Ta." Anna replied shortly, taking the phone. Now was so not the time… "Yes?"
"Anna! At last!" Kaho's voice echoed down the line. "Where have you been? Are you okay?"
"Uh…" She lifted her sleeping bag, looking for the other half of her pair of socks. "That's kind of a long story… But I'm fine, bar, I suspect, the same reason you've been so desperate to contact me."
"…What are we going to do?"
Azreal hesitated. "…Where are you?"
"Outside your house! I was kinda hoping you'd be back…"
"Look, Seto and I are on our way back, and we might need your help. Find the others to, okay? All the ones who were involved with me the first time round- I have this feeling they'll be needed… I'll be with you as soon as I can!" She hung up, ramming the phone into a pocket. She was about to leave the tent, her time gone, when she saw her old, bedraggled, cuddly lamb lying belatedly in the corner of the tent. Imaginatively named Lamby, he'd been a last minute edition to her packing- She rarely looked at him any more, but she'd had him as long as she could remember and before; she couldn't stand to leave him behind from this trip. Even though her time was spent, she turned and grabbed the old plushie, hugging it. But now that she looked, she could see that his fur was turning hard from age, that his face was greying slightly, and a number of mysterious stains, including a patch of ancient, dried up soap. She wrinkled her nose. Lamby needed a bath.
"I promise," She whispered to it. "That I'll wash you the second we're back at the house."
"Touching." Seto drawled out from behind her. She turned, surprised- she hadn't noticed him come in. Even as his voice teased, his face was serious. Whatever was going on with Wherever, he got the impression it needed to be dealt with fast. "Are you ready?"
She followed him out the tent, trying to be light-hearted as they passed his. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"
Seto forced a smirk. "I might." He replied, pushing the flap of his own tent just enough for her to see.
In the corner of his tent, placed reverently on top of his bag, was Blusie.
"Now," Seto said. "I believe you're quite anxious to leave."
They climbed into his car, and he drove them back in the direction they'd come just the day before, wishing they hadn't come quite as far. By the time they reached Domino, it would be about half past six in the evening, but there was no question of waiting till the next day. It would be a long, tense journey, with none of the excitement of the last time.
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Duke had somehow got Kaho's number, but, by the same token, she had his. He picked it up almost straight away, yelling something about wanting his car returned right now. Kaho didn't bother to ask, this was an emergency.
"Duke! Something's gone wrong with Wherever and Anna needs our help!"
"Kaho!" He yelled. "It's you! Man, I'm sorry, I thought-"
"Never mind that!" She replied, unusually abrasive. "Just met me at the Game shop, okay?"
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The forest could not even be called that, a small group of trees hidden behind a Church in a bad area, small enough to walk through in five minutes, large enough to hide in. And yet, despite it's location, nothing had been done to harm the trees- and, although there was defiantly 'something about it', there had to be some truth in the rumours. It was supposed to be haunted, or guarded, by some kind of spirit, hovering just on the edge of visibility, who appeared only to those with bad intentions- and yet, somehow directing everything away from the centre. It only took five minutes to walk through, but hardly anyone had, always coming out where they'd started. This, naturally, made people more determined then ever, but they never succeeded. If anyone did, they kept quiet.
But soon… The one she'd been waiting for would come. She could taste the anticipation. The Guardian climbed to the optimum spot, waiting patiently. She knew not the form, but this was it. Something big was going to happen here, soon…
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"Yami?" Téa repeated, coming close again. "Now, we really are 'just friends'…"
Kaho burst through the door, calling to him. "Yugi! Where- Oh, there you are!" She saw him, and Téa looking at her with very odd expressions. She had been rather surprised to see the shop full of Muses, but had managed to get some sort of picture of what was going on from them, although she hadn't yet contacted Anna. Instead, when Yugi still hadn't appeared in the Shop, she had burst in here, hair wild and eyes wider, apparently catching them at the crucial moment. Oops. Oh well.
"Yugi!" She repeated. "Téa! Wherever's falling into the Nothing and all the Muses are here and Anna's on her way to back to try and do something and she needs our help!" She dashed out again.
Yugi and Téa regarded each other helplessly, slightly taken aback by the normally calm, shy Kaho acting such a way, and more so at the interruption.
"We ought to go…" Yugi ventured, after a slight pause.
Téa sighed ruefully, getting to her feet. "Well, never let it be said that we let a friend down. Come on, Yugi. It's been a while since you've saved anyone."
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It had taken Azreal and her family six hours to get to the campsite, including the hour they'd spent lost.
Take that away, add in a few shortcuts Seto had never taken before, but was sure would work, you had about four and a half hours.
So Seto was determined to do it in three at most. Two, if he felt particularly rebellious, which, to Az's relief, wasn't quite yet. Let's just say she was glad the car had airbags.
"So," He began, eyes glued to the road ahead. "What are we going to do?"
"Make contact with Wherever." Azreal answered nervously. The scale of that alone was beginning to hit her.
"And then?"
"And then… we help." She shrugged.
"Okay, how are we going to contact Wherever?" Seto demanded. He wanted to know exactly what he was doing before he jumped headfirst into it. "If it was just a telephone call, I doubt you'd want to go all the way back to Domino."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologise, just explain!"
Feeling just like she was ten years old and back at school again, Azreal answered the question, unknowingly reciting almost word for word what she'd written all those years ago in her exercise book. "There are three main ways in and out of Wherever. The most common way is by Porthole, which are simply temporary path ways between Earth and a city, set up by Technicians at each end; the benefit being you can make one from anywhere to anywhere with relatively low cost, but it's quite skilled to do, so it is required as part of the training programme for Technicians."
"I'm assuming you didn't have that training." Seto interrupted.
"No, I don't. And we don't have anyone at the other end." Azreal replied.
"Then it's not a viable method for us." He stated. He'd always hated time wasters and 'blather', and he was wondering why she had wasted time telling him about how they couldn't go.
"Right, so, the second way is a Perm'hole." Azreal continued, oblivious. "Which is a very imaginative name for a Permanent porthole. Which is exactly what it sounds like- sometimes, after a Porthole is taken down, it leaves some of the connection left behind; it leaves a fragment. Unfortunately, they're very unpredictable, and are said to never come out in the same place. Also, they're not as permanent as they may seem- they do have a tendency to drop you off half way." She paused. "However, some people… Criminals, mostly… take the risk and come out alright, so if I have to…"
"And you'd want to risk it because…?" Seto's mind jumped to a conclusion almost before she did. "Because, on however false terms, you are an exile and may not be welcomed with open arms?" He finished.
She smiled sheepishly. "Pretty much, yeah. There are two Perm'holes that I know of- One is so strong, it made me go a little weird just by being near it. It's our safest bet- unfortunately, it's in the middle of the ocean on the other side of Japan. The other one I know of is…" She hesitated again. She hadn't realised then, but "In your house."
Realisation dawned on Seto. "The doors?"
She nodded. "The doors."
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+Flashback-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
She had found a seldom-used room which contained only a thread-bare sofa, which she was now sitting cross-legged on. However, the room had large French doors which lead onto a small- perhaps only a metre and a half out- balcony, which seemed to be directly over the dilapidated rose garden. Azreal had thrown these doors wide open, and the faint scent of dying roses reached and relaxed her. Had her eyes been open, from the position she was in Azreal would have seen a spattering of stars, half hidden by clouds. But the moon was bright and silver as metal, so it gave an eerie sort of twilight to the room.
The light was made even stranger by the doors themselves. Evidently once the room's crowning glory, the doors were made of an intricate stained glass, in all the colours of the rainbow. On close inspection, these doors had more then just random squares of coloured glass. There was a fantasy world depicted on the doors, that showed a dragon flying majestically up through some clouds, with creatures swirling up and around and below him, centaurs and unicorns, fairies, Sprites, pixies… As the moon light hit the doors and flowed through them, it transformed into colours spreading over the floor, as if the world shown on the doors was having it's very own Northern Lights.
You can see why Azreal had wasted so much time here, but also why she had chosen it. The whole room had the feeling of forgotten beauty and hidden secrets to it, especially in the quiet of the night. However, it seemed as though this room kept and maintained a prolonged silence, holding it's breath for some kind of climax. And Azreal knew that when the climax came it would be something wonderful and miraculous. She could almost feel the creatures of that world around her and if not exactly welcoming her, that they were accepting her and wishing her luck.
For the past few minutes, or hours, or days, Azreal had sat so still and quiet that it was almost as if she was made of glass herself. When she felt herself completely relaxed, she stood, walked across the room and touched each pane of the oddly cool glass in turn. She wasn't naturally superstitious, but it sure seemed as though they were watching her, so she might just as well acknowledge their presence.
"Wish me luck." She whispered, her voice sounding odd in the curiously muffled air.
-+-+-+-+-+-+- End Flashback+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Seto swallowed. There was something inside him that wasn't quite up for trying to open half a porthole in a set of doors he'd never liked. "You said there were three ways. What's the third?"
"The chutes." Azreal sighed. "They're like they sound- the real permanent links. But they're slow, expensive to run and a lot of them have been decommissioned now. Old fashioned, really- They're what we had before the Portholes, you see. The first ones were made right after we left Earth; in almost temple like things where people could seek us if they really needed us, without all our paper work. But, you know, Humans don't really believe in all the guardian spirit stuff anymore, so they're never used. They must have cut all the chutes off anyways, it's through them that I could still sense Wherever's presence…" She didn't bother to add that, should Kaho manage to gather everyone, she might just be able to re-open one.
Seto was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to go up to a place that seemed to be having such huge problems, but let it lie. Azreal wouldn't heed any words he had, anyway. He almost wished there was such a thing as a 'Guardian Spirit'- goodness knows he could use one from time to time…
But not to worry. There was one waiting for them.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
"Joey, would you open the door!" Yugi yelled in frustration. Hastily, Joey did so- he didn't want the rest of the building to know he was here, after all. Unfortunately, he opened the door to Yugi, Duke, Téa, and Anna's friend… Kaho Bijou, if he remembered rightly.
"How did you know I was here?" He demanded.
"My car was parked outside." Duke remarked dryly.
"Oh, yeah, about that…"
"Actually," Yugi interrupted. "Téa told us."
She shrank from his glare. "Hey, we needed to find you! Besides, Mai told me!"
Joey whacked his head off the doorframe. "So everyone knows I'm here?"
"Uh…Tristan doesn't." Yugi tried to console his friend.
"Actually, he does." Duke replied, raising a hand. "I called him to meet us here. How was I supposed to know it was a secret?"
"Well, I guess it's just Anna, then…" Yugi concluded, sheepishly.
"No, Anna knows." Mai answered, appearing from the front room and ignoring the questioning glances being thrown at them. "I was chatting to her on the phone yesterday, to invite her to my party next week."
Joey groaned. "So much for keeping a secret… is there anyone else?"
"No." Mai promised. "Except… well, I think maybe Kaiba knows to."
"What!"
"Hey, calm down, hun!" She tried. "Maybe he doesn't! All I know is, he was speaking in the background… Maybe he didn't catch on to what we were talking about…"
"That doesn't matter now!" Kaho surprised them all by shouting. "Joey, Mai, Wherever's sinking into the Nothing and Anna needs our help and I think she's going to try and open a porthole so she needs everyone that was involved in her last case!"
Joey blinked. "Well, I wish you luck with that, though I doubt you'll be able to do it."
"Why?" Kaho felt her heart snaking down her arms and making her fingers tingle.
"Because Ryou's on the other side of the world."
Oh, yeah. That would be the flaw in the plan.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
"Stop!"
Seto slammed down on the brake, and they skidded to a halt. Azreal sighed deeply. He looked at her.
"What's the matter?" He asked, slightly annoyed at the fright she had given him. He didn't want to stop here, of all places… This was the roughest part of town, right on the outskirts of Domino. Once upon a time, it had been a nice estate. He and his parents had walked through the park there often. But those times were gone, and he always made a point of locking the car when he drove through.
"I think we can make a porthole here instead!" She yelped, unbuckling her seatbelt and climbing out the door, running across the road and out of his line of vision. More sedately, filled with dread, Seto clambered out, closed and locked his car, and turned to see where she had run to.
His hands clenched themselves unconsciously. No… He stared at the little Church, as though hoping it would turn out to be a mirage. Not here. Not here.
"Seto?" She called from the doors of the Church. "Is something wrong?"
"No." He lied. The sounds of a hymn reached him. So, even now, they were still holding a morning and an evening service. Amazing. But he didn't want to be here…
"Just wait here," Azreal instructed. "I need to talk to someone." She disappeared round the side of the building.
Seto glared at the Church. He didn't want to be here. But here he was, and if he had to… He would.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Well and the other teens at the Church stood, uncertain. The Muses had been respectful as possible, and instead of going in the Main Church, had come out to the back rooms with the Youth. Apparently, there had not been enough people who knew about them to hide with, so they were seeking sanctuary in Religious Places. Many of them were solid, and chatting to them quite happily- they seemed very interested in what they had to say.
"Muses were still on Earth's Surface when Jesus was around, that's how we know about him." One was saying, looking at them curiously. "There's a lot of Christians- a lot more of other religions, mind you, but they're still there- on Wherever. But I always wondered if, you know, God and Jesus and all that really applied to Muses."
"We-ell…" Well began awkwardly. He was fairly sure when people talked about Evangelising, this wasn't exactly what they had in mind… He was saved from answering by the fire escape at the back of the room bursting open.
"Well! Guys!" Anna yelled, entering. Wasn't she supposed to be on holiday…? "I really need your…help…" She trailed off, seeing the room was full of Muses, who weren't too pleased to see her.
"Isn't that the Kiyoko girl…?"
"I thought she died in hospital!"
"That was just her mother covering up for her! I told you she'd been exiled!"
Azreal paled. If they knew she was here, it was only a matter of seconds before…
"I bet she was the one who set the Nothing on Wherever!"
"To get revenge!"
"I knew she was twisted!"
Azreal decided to try, even though she knew there was no point. "Oh, come on. How am I supposed to control Nothing?"
There was a slight pause.
"She's a witch!" An old Muse cried.
"I always knew she was!"
"I said there was some'in strange about her…"
"It's because she's half human!"
"She's a Witch!" The same old, hysterical Muse cried. "Now that's she scattered us all, she'll pick us off one by one!"
Azreal rolled her eyes. People just got worse and worse as they got older…
"Anna…?" Well began uncertainly.
"Well, I-" Azreal started, interrupted by a cry of 'Get her! Now! While she's distracted!'. "Oh, crud…"
She bolted through the door, pushing through the room and out into the corridor. The Muses quickly gave chase. No way could she stand up to this lot!
"This is a House of God!" She tried, still running. In the Church proper, the Evening Service continued unknowingly. "House of God House of God House of God House of God House of God!"
But they paid her no heed as they backed her into a corner.
"Stop!" Well commanded. "Or, well, I'll have you all chucked out by your, well, ears!"
They all stopped, considering.
"I will!" He insisted.
"Well, just make sure she doesn't get away…" The old one grumbled as Well's friends herded them all into the room they'd come from.
"Well…" Well began. "What's this favour you're asking?"
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
When Azreal re-appeared a few moments later, with six young Christians in tow, she found Kaho and the others waiting for them.
"How did you…?" She began.
"You're not the only one who can sense the vibes coming off this place." Kaho replied, jerking her head in the direction of the thicket. "I figured you'd come here."
"There are, well, rumours…" Well said tentatively. "They say that, there's, well, a, well, Spirit of some sort in there."
They all looked at Azreal questioningly at the number of 'Well's in the sentence. She shrugged.
"But we don't, well, believe that!" Well finished cheerily. "It seems that, well, when you go in, you, well, come out on the same side. Well, I think they must all be getting lost, because- Well, we've been to the middle of the trees! Not that it's, well, very interesting…"
"Why?" Azreal demanded. "What's in there?"
"Ruins." One of the girls piped up. "Ruins, of some old shrine or something."
Bingo.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
"This is our stop." Opal piped up, scaring them all half to death. It was a long ride from Kyoto to Tokyo, and she hadn't said a word. Somehow, although she was grieving, she hadn't cried- just become more withdrawn then ever, and it wasn't healthy.
They climbed off, walking in silence to where Azreal- No, Anna, lived with the other half of her family. Ruby and Emerald walked up the path quite confidently, but Millierie and Opal hung back.
"Mom?" Emerald questioned.
"…Perhaps it's best if I waited around the corner." She said, walking off to do just that. Silently, Opal went with her, but Millierie hardly noticed. It really was for the best. In truth, she just didn't want to see Doug- or his new family. It was too painful, to know that they weren't married any more. Besides, what was she even supposed to say to him? 'Hi, it's been a really long thirteen years, hasn't it? Goodness, you haven't aged a day! Anyway, can I speak to our daughter please? I've just gone against the government and now I'm on the run- funny old world, isn't it?- but I want to make sure she doesn't do the same thing'?
Yeah, right. And even if she had spoken to Azreal, what was she supposed to say? In sixteen years, she'd barely spoken to the girl- it hurt them both so much, but they were practically strangers. She hated the fact so much… If only she'd had time to get to know her a little better… If only she could have taken Doug back to Wherever with her… if only, if only… so many regrets…
Millierie didn't even realise she was crying until, wordlessly, Opal hugged her, and they cried together.
As it turned out, the Mitsan's weren't home.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Kaho and Azreal glanced at each other. If there was a Shrine in the woods, it would certainly make sense if it was towards the Muses- it would explain why the trees had grown around it, why it was here, amidst the concrete that nature flourished.
It would also mean a disused chute, meaning an entrance into Wherever.
"I guess this would give me a chance to find out what's going on…" Azreal voiced. "Let's go."
"Wait just a second!" Yugi cried. "Would you mind explaining what's going on!"
Azreal turned and regarded them all. How much had changed between them all since she'd first arrived! There was Joey, who had once been just another case; Seto, just a tool for her to use to aid her. Téa, who had been caught in the crossfire with Ryou; and Mai and Duke, who had involved themselves. There was Yugi and Tristan, who had just used the entire affair as an opportunity to have fun. But now, this was not fun. This was something else. Now, they, with the edition of Kaho, were the only, and best friends, she'd ever had. It was a true testimony to them that they had come out here with little or no explanation as to the rhyme and reason of it all. Yet, here they were.
And, somehow, deep in her heart of hearts, she knew that this was, in her own way, a hope that maybe, just once before she went, she could help. That was why she wanted to go and find out what was going on. Yes, a lot of it was a concern for her family, but there was still some small, selfish part that still wanted the acceptance she thought she'd left behind.
"Anna." Kaho said, having, on her zoning out, filled them in on her behalf. "Let's go. And… If it'll be any use, I don't mind standing in for Ryou."
Azreal nodded. "Thanks. I'll be there in a minute."
Kaho nodded in response, and, leading for once in her life, took the group into the band of trees, so only Azreal, Seto, and the ones she'd pulled out of Church remained.
"Well, you want us to look out for you?" Well asked, arms folded.
"Please." Azreal replied, nerves causing her monotony. "Stop anyone coming into the woods." Then, as an afterthought, she put: "Especially a blond guy. About so tall. He looks innocent, but he's really not."
He smiled. "Well… I don't quite understand what's going on, but it's, well, important to you, so, well, good luck!" He hugged her. Seto looked on, keeping his expression carefully blank. He was a little taken aback when Well hugged him to, not at all deterred by the fact Seto stood as stiff as a board. "May God go with you! You, well, look after each other, okay?"
Azreal said nothing as Seto managed to pull away. He nodded and began to walk away as Well gathered his friends.
"Joseph! Ryan! Danielle! Bethany! Maria!" He shouted. "Let's go!"
"Right!" They replied, fanning out.
Azreal began to approach the thicket, but then saw Seto was standing on the other side of the Church Graveyard, where it curved round the back of the building, in the shade of the small spire, and went to see what was holding his attention.
At first, it just appeared that it was a traditional hedgerow, bushy, green, and overgrown. Wild flowers peeped out in some of the gaps, as they grew hither and thither into the hedge, but on closer inspection, there were stones laid there, alone, far from the others. She felt twinges of sadness when she saw how uncared for they were… Grass, weeds and moss had grown around and over them, chocking whatever imitation of life they'd had out of them; absorbing them into the unification of the hedge. But they were there, hidden from the living world.
"Who…?" She began, but Seto interrupted her with the answer he'd been half expecting.
"Az." He said, flatly, with a twisted smirk on his face. "Meet my parents."
She gasped, though, somehow, at the very back of her mind, she had known that was what he would say. She didn't know what to do, but her hand seemed to have a mind of it's own as it took hold of his.
"I haven't been here since they were buried." Seto commented. "I never thought I would. You can tell."
"So you haven't ever… Mokuba hasn't…"
Seto shook his head. "No. The Orphanage didn't let you, and Gozaburo certainly didn't. And after that… I'd just stopped wanting to. Because I knew it would remind me…" He looked at her. She was staring down at the overgrown grass around her ankles, and looked up in surprise at his next sentence. "But then I met you. And I remembered anyway."
She gaped at him. "What…?"
"I knew that if I came here, they'd remind me of who I used to be, so to speak." Seto stated. "I didn't want to remember how life could be. After all, if you allow yourself to feel things, you can feel sorrow, regret… Heh. I could avoid coming here, but stopping you was like turning back the tides. I could help…feeling… when I was with you. And mostly, I haven't wanted to." He slipped his hand out of hers. "In short, let's leave the dead to rot and concern ourselves with the living. So, let's go and help this city of yours." He walked away, but Azreal stood for a moment, contemplating.
Slowly, she knelt down into the grass that the lawnmower so obvious missed, and began clearing a few of the weeds and grass from the stones. She had no time, nor the will to do a proper job, but she could spare a moment. Somewhere above her, a bird was singing half-heartedly, as though it knew it couldn't compete with the oppressive atmosphere of this grey place. And, though they could not hear her, Azreal talked as she worked.
"I never knew you…" She whispered. "But, I bet you would be proud of Seto, really… Okay, so he's not the most sociable of people, but he's getting the courage to come out again. He's getting better, I'm sure. And he's smart, and funny, and once he loosens up a little… Well, you'd be proud to have some sort of relation to him. I am." She added softly.
"Azreal! Come on!" Seto yelled from the other side of the Church yard. She grinned.
"Yup, still got some work to do on the abrasiveness." She commented. "But don't worry. He'll be just fine."
She stood, attempted to brush the grass stains off her knees, and ran over to join him.
It was time to do what they'd come here for.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
A/N: Uh, yeah, some cameos in there… Lamby exists, for instance. And yes, I've really had him that long, and he really does look like that. Or did. See, my mom needed him for the 'Nursery Rhyme' parade at school, so I dug him out and saw how mucky he was… I wrote that bit when I was feeling guilty at the state of him! So I left him in the bathroom to wash as soon as I got chance, and then I found him clean- my mom had seen him there and done it for me! And the reason of saying all that was just to show how much my mom rocks. Heh. The other cameos know who they are, not that they even read this! Whatever. So, yeah, not much happened in this chapter, but hopefully finally getting some pairings in properly made it more interesting… It's taken long enough… though, maybe it was a bit rushed…
So, yeah, not much happened in this chapter, but hopefully finally getting some pairings in properly made it more interesting… It's taken long enough… though, maybe it was a bit rushed…
Poor, poor, Yugi and Téa. I should really take pity on them once in a while… But it was either that or have her catch them actually kissing… XD
Review Responses:
Willowwind: Stalling, was I! Well, then how- Oh, never mind... I believe we already 'discussed' this. And came to the conclusion that the Filing cabinet thing was cool. :D And as for the seeming a little like Az, that's kinda what I was shooting for... I always thought she was more like her dad, though. Hmm.
Dragonlady222: Ah, howI enjoy your reviews! It makes me feel kinda guilty that I can't update more frequently... Heh... As for her family, they'll make a brief apperance across the next few chapters, but not too much, I'm afraid...
And that's it! Oh, actually- I'm going on a trip for a week from the 21st. I SHOULD, school willing, be able to post again before that, but that's a heads up just in case… And now, it's high time I saved this and finally posted it! TTFN!
