Author's Notes:
My exams are over! YAY!
I honestly have no idea about the trapeze. I did research but a lot of it, especially the acts and routines, is plainly made up.
Oh, there's a reward for reviewing this time -smiles-
Every reviewer gets to see the pictures mic1211 drew for "Flying and Falling – They Gypsy's Curse", as well as other stories. (We've just opened a photobucket account)
The Catcher's Challenge
More often than not he is roused from his sleep by silence these days. The occasional noise coming from the animal stables is not enough to replace the sounds of the street that accompany his every day during the warmer season. But it is cold outside now, glazed frost clinging to the trees, announcing the approach of winter. The howling winds will come, the snowdrifts gather, but they will have crackling flames in the fireplace, they have houses now, and soft beds and warm blankets.
Yami is not used to soft warm beds, so the first few weeks usually feel uncomfortable because the softness makes him insecure. Furthermore, he is not used to being alone in a room. In winter, his younger brother has his own room next to his, and although they are almost as small as the little space they have in their caravan, the level of privacy they provide is so huge compared to what they have while touring the country that it sometimes scares him. It also scares him how fast the years seem to pass, every time he looks at Yugi and discovers anew that he is already twelve years old, almost a teenager. At times Yami tries to think back to when he was twelve and what it felt like, but he does not remember too much of that time. Life in the circus has always been the same, each day, every year. There has been only one day in the twelfth year of his life that still stays on his mind, hidden somewhere so he can turn away from it and pretend it did not happen.
A late sunrise calls Yami from his bed. Even in winter the animals have to be taken care of, the stables have to be cleaned and Jii-chan's back has been getting worse after all those years of hard work. Sometimes Yami wishes he could pay for a real therapy in a hospital or a health resort, instead of just a few painkillers here or there – but Sugoroku would refuse anyway. He does not want to feel old, even if all his generation with the exception of Pegasus only has already retired from the circus.
Indeed, the new generation has grown up, Yami thinks with pride, for his little brother is among them. Already he stuns the whole circus family with the result of his lessons with the ring master. Even Yami can no longer tell if Yugi is just imitating Pegasus' tricks or if he has truly passed into a world that knows more than what the eye can see, that knows real magic. He suspects Yugi has always partly lived in that place where reason and logic cannot follow, has, now that he knows how to wield the powers of this place, already talked to the rusalki he met so long ago.
When this winter is over, Yami reflects with a knowing smile, Yugi and his friends, the entire circus offspring that has now reached an age from ten to thirteen, will join the show. Naturally, that requires a lot of training, acts having to be rehearsed over and over, acts that have to be more spectacular every year. From the money they have earned with last year's show, Pegasus has hired the nearest town's gym from 6.00 am to 1.30 pm each day of the week.
So every day at 11.30 am, when the other acts are rehearsed, Yami, Raphael and Amelda set up their light training rigging and security ropes in the gym and rehearse their new routine. It is not easy, for the more spectacular the show has to become, the more difficult it is for the performers. Many accidents would have happened were it not for the security ropes. That is normal, though. Sometimes they laugh at each other, sometimes they get so fed up with each other they scream their frustration into each other's faces, looking for someone to blame for their faults. At times Yami and Amelda in their all-time-competition end up rolling around on the floor mats, wrestling, and Raphael has to separate them. Usually the reconciliation follows short. After all those years they know each other too well.
Blinking away his thoughts, Yami gives the sunrise and the glittering frost on the trees a last lingering look, then turns away from the window. Dressing in jeans and a comfortable but warm pullover and jacket, he slings the bag with his training outfit over his shoulder and leaves his room.
Sugoroku seems to be in the stables already so Yami does not hesitate to join him.
"Ah, my boy, we are getting snow tomorrow", the old man greets him with a smile.
Yami returns it half-heartedly, replying, "I don't know if I like that, Jii-chan. The snow is beautiful, but it is so cold."
"But you are drawn to it anyway", Jii-chan smiles, reminscing. "As I recall you could not get enough of it when you were younger"
"True", Yami agrees, "Each time the first snow flakes are falling and glittering in the sunlight or in the light of a streetlamp at night, the cold no longer matters."
With a shrug of his shoulders he begins to clean the stables while Jii-chan feeds the horses.
"Good morning, big brother", Yugi calls, passing him by on his way to the ponies Rebecca performs on.
Returning the greeting with a smile, Yami notices that someone else has entered the stables. Mai is smirking at him in her own stable outfit.
"Good morning. Would you two mind if I take out Mara and Odin for training? Oh, and don't bother with brushing the horses, me and Anzu will do that later. Have to help some here too, not just do the riding", she casually comments and when Sugoroku nods with some words of affirmation, Mai opens two stables and with a soft whisle has both horses following her out.
Yami has an amused smile on his face when he turns back to his work.
"She's become a lady, hasn't she?", Jii-chan wonders aloud.
"She has always been", Yami confirms, "But now it's more noticeable than ever. Joey'll have a hard time catching up."
"He still hasn't given up on her?"
Yami shakes his head, avoiding Sugoroku's eyes, but unable to hide the small smile on his face. After a few seconds, his Jii-chan grins as well.
"Persistent he is, that has to be said.", and after another few seconds he adds, "And if you ask me he even stands a chance. If he catches up a bit, like you said."
It does not take them too long to clean the six stalls reserved for the horses Mai and Anzu are training. The two pony stalls are even more quickly cleaned. Satisfied, Yami prepares to leave, taking off his working gloves and handing them to Jii-chan. Two female voices engaged in their usual banter can be heard from the entrance as Anzu and Rebecca arrive. Sugoroku winks at Yami and they both stay, leaned against one of the stalls, watching.
Without so much as a glance at the stalls, Rebecca rushes past them towards Yugi and her ponies. "Good morning, Yugi!", she shouts cheerfully, "Thank you for taking care of Ida and Barbara. Oh, you even cleaned the hooves? That is so wonderful of you, thank you. You really didn't have to."
Yugi, face flushed a little, stutters, "Uhm, no problem, Rebecca."
A quiet huff makes Yami and Sugoroku's amused faces snap back towards Anzu. She is preparing her training saddle while occasionally glaring at the slightly younger girl. Finally she opens the door to the stall of her favourite, the chestnut Dorian, and leads him out.
Realising that she is losing Yugi's attention to Anzu's horse, Rebecca attempts to pull him out of the stable, babbling about showing him something, but this time Anzu is quicker.
"Yugi!", she calls when the other girl tries to pull him past her, and makes him blush yet again as she walks around the horse, reigns in her hand, smiling at him. "You wanted me to help you with your Geography homework today, didn't you? I thought we could start in two hours, when training is over for both of us. What do you think?"
Yugi nods, embarrassed at Rebecca standing next to him with a raised eyebrow and a nervously tapping foot. "That would be very nice of you, Anzu", he replies politely before being grabbed yet again and pulled out of the stables, not without giving his Jii-chan and his brother a helpless look over his shoulder.
As soon as Anzu too has left, the old man and the young boy's serious faces dissolve into waves of amused snickers. The two girls' rivalry in wooing Yugi and said little magician's helplessness and embarrassment has been their private joke for almost two years now. Eventually, Yami takes his leave, lifting his bag up from the floor where he dropped it almost an hour ago.
The morning is still beautiful, the sun having lost its red and golden glow in its rising and the small frosty crystals on the trees and in the grass melting one after the other, even as he faces the path leading into town.
"Yami!", someone calls out to him. It is Leon, Siegfried's little brother, waving and making his way towards him. Turning fully, Yami stands and waits for the younger boy to catch up with him.
"Say, Yami", he begins, once he has reached him, "would you like some company on your way to town? I have to go there too, you know."
Yami returns his smile and nods. "Of course, why not. I always enjoy company."
As they begin to walk together Yami wonders, "I didn't think you had to do your training in the gym. Is something special today?"
Leon laughs, "You could say that. I'm getting a partner for my performance."
"You do? That is wonderful!", Yami voices his surprise.
"I would have told you sooner", Leon adds, always having been fast to confide in the other boy, "but I thought you knew. I thought you were going to get new partners for the trapeze as well."
"You must have heard that wrong, Leon", Yami explains, "Pegasus has not told us anything about new artists."
"I guess you are right then", Leon shrugs, the smile quickly back on his face. "Sieg says I have improved a lot in juggling lately. What do you think?"
"You're doing great", Yami assures him, "Especially with the blackjacks." His voice becomes conspiratorially low. "I think even Rebecca took her eyes off Yugi to watch you."
That in turn makes Leon blush and Yami has to shake his head with a little smile.
They have soon reached the gym and change into their training clothes. While Leon is looking for his juggling utensils, Yami goes to find the rigging and see if Shizuka and Ryou have already finished their acrobatics training. To his surprise he finds a large group of people in the hall, with none of them doing any training but instead standing and talking. Curious, he approaches the group, his eyes finding Pegasus, Amelda and Raphael, and even Bakura. In the middle of their circle there is a boy of about Yugi's age, with black messy hair and an impish smile on his face. His suspicion is confirmed when Pegasus calls for him and Leon and introduces the boy.
"This is Mokuba, your new juggling partner, Leon. I hope you'll enjoy each other's company. We will give you space for your training in a minute. But there are more people to introduce."
Mokuba nods and smiles at Leon.
Pegasus now beckons him closer, together with Amelda and Raphael. "I have not told you yet because the offer came very fast and I had only a short time to make my decision, but you too will get new partners." When he sees the slight shock on Amelda's face and the look the redhead throws Raphael's way, the ringmaster chuckles. "Do not worry, the two of you can continue to perform together. But it would be advantageous if you chose one of the new guys, best a flyer, to stock up your performance a bit. You may find it helpful and interesting as an experience. And you Yami", he turns a little to give him a smile, "You can perform with the second rookie – I think you will be pleased, he matches you in skill"
Yami feels his eyes widen, feels his heart speed up slightly. Is that a promise or a threat?
But before he has time to contemplate the matter, one of the rookies comes in. He is younger than Yami, slightly smaller, with unkempt, brown hair, but he looks strong, almost warrior-like with a mischievous smile. For a moment the four of them look at each other, and the newcomer's gaze wanders from one to the other, resting a little longer on Amelda. Looking out of the corner of his eyes at the red haired boy, Yami notices a faint blush and his mouth falls open just a little in surprise.
"Well, Pegasus says the two of you need a flyer, correct?", the boy then addresses Amelda and Raphael. "I am Valon, at your service" He imitates a bow, grins and then shakes their hands, his smirk never leaving his face. When he moves over to shake Yami's hand, Raphael leans over and whispers something into Amelda's ear. Then the large blonde man nods at Valon, a simple sign of acceptance.
"Valon is actually related to you, Raphael", Pegasus explains, "albeit very distantly. He's the son of yours, Mai's and Rebecca's second cousin."
Raphael does not look surprised at the revelation. "We're all at least distantly related here", he states calmly, which makes the others laugh because it is almost true.
But then the door opens again and a second boy comes in. His training clothes are black, but his hair is brown, the colour of cinnamon and fading autumn leaves. Yami's heart begins to pound as his eyes widen in horror. The man comes closer and finally they can see his eyes, blue, hard, cold as the frost. Yami gasps and takes a small step back.
"This is Seto Kaiba, your new partner", Pegasus introduces him, "and this, Seto, is Yami Mutou. You will admire his talent."
Blue eyes look him up and down, from head to toe, burning like the touch of ice on warm skin. Then there is the smallest of nods. "I have seen him"
Yami's hand is shaking as he extends it to greet Seto Kaiba, but bravely he is searching those blue eyes. They are cold, do not betray their owner's feelings. There is silence for a few endless seconds while their eye contact remains unbroken in the horrible tension that is clenching Yami's throat and stealing his breath away. Then Amelda breaks it.
"I thought you were a flyer?", he wants to know, "You're tall for a flyer. You either have to be very light or a catcher."
The tall man's gaze leaves Yami and meets Amelda's eyes instead, but only for a short second, while he calmly states, "I'm both. Flyer and catcher", then his eyes return to Yami and he adds, in a lower, even more dangerous voice, "and I refuse to work with anyone who is less than that."
With that he leaves, following Pegasus, who has not heard the exchange, with long strides and leaving the other trapeze artists gasping in the wake of his words.
Yami is still standing there, his whole body trembling, his hands clenched and his red eyes filled with a demon's rage. "Fine", he says and turns to get the rigging.
Seto Kaiba does not appear for the training so Yami joins the other three, watching Valon and judging his skills. He is certainly inexperienced, but he is reckless and imaginative, a good counterpart to Amelda in his flying style and certainly not too heavy for Raphael with his slim, wiry body. He will become a good flyer, an improvement in the performance for already his moves seem to match with those of his partners, something a flyer usually has to learn in long hard training hours.
On their way back to the circus quarters Yami is very silent. The others seem to sense that something is wrong but allow him his privacy. He is grateful for that as the events of this day replay in his mind, as other events, long years in the past, resurface and torture him. Again he sees those blue eyes boring into his.
I have seen him.
The long forgotten words of his twelve year old self follow.
He will never be a challenge to those blue eyes again. He will never be worth another glance of them. He will never see them again.
And yet, there is something new, a flutter of his heart underneath the rage and helplessness.
Seto Kaiba...Seto Kaiba is his name...A challenge...
He is pulled out of his deep thoughts when the others say their goodbyes and vanish each into their houses, to recover, to shower, to do their schoolwork. Valon will be Otogi's new roommate. Amelda and Raphael have been sharing a house for years.
Yami tiredly enters the house and walks into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Absently, he runs one of his hands through his hair before shaking his head and pulling his pullover off. Completely ridding himself of his clothing he steps into the bathtub and reaches out to turn on the sprinkler. Feeling hot water flow over his exhausted skin, he sighs softly, again running his hands trough his now wet hair.
Suddenly he pulls them away from his face and stares at the open palms. Three or four thin white scars can be seen on each of his hands, almost imperceptible yet shaping his hands and always reminding him of rope burns that have been placed there, five years ago.
He begins to shiver under the hot water, then wraps his arms around himself, unconsciously imitating a foetal position he rolled up into back then, crying in his bed, curses spilling from his lips as his wounds burned.
A challenge…
The thought does not leave him. Catchers are very sought after these days, he tells himself. It requires a high amount of skill and experience to be a good catcher, but the best results usually come from someone who has experienced flying himself. A catcher who knows flying knows the movements of a flyer, can sense them and guess them, an ability that a catcher who does not have that experience has to acquire in long years of training. Yami counts on his ability as a flyer, fiercely rubbing shampoo into his hair and thinking.
Finally he nods, decisively, and rinses out his hair. Drying it with a soft towel, he steps out of the tub and picks up his clothes from the floor.
Properly dressed again, he leaves his house in search of Raphael.
Neither Raphael nor Amelda are at home. Puzzled, Yami walks around the house and when he passes close to the little wood next to the circus' camp, he imagines hearing a voice and follows it. There, turned away from the houses a little, are Raphael and Amelda, facing each other.
"He is just a kid, Amelda", the older man states with a hint of anger in his voice, "and you know him no longer than a day, but somehow he manages to get under your skin."
"You're jealous", replies the other, the nervous twitch of his shoulders betraying his calm voice, "you are afraid of losing me to a kid."
Yami knows he should not hear this, he looks for a way to retreat quietly but is suddenly sure the two of them will hear him if he does. He stays, lowering his head in shame.
"You say it as if there was a reason to be jealous", Raphael says in a voice so low it can almost pass as a growl.
"And maybe there is", Amelda whispers angrily, turning away. "Three years, Raphael, and I was only a little more than fourteen years old when we started. Three years and you still do not trust me. Didn't you accuse me of preferring Yami over you once?"
Yami's eyes widen and he looks up, unable to restrain himself.
Amelda cuts off the answer that is on the taller man's lips. "You did not have a reason back then, yet you would not let it go. Now you have a reason."
Raphael looks up at one of the trees. "You are playing a game with me, Amelda. You make me believe you will leave me for him to teach me a lesson."
Slowly, Amelda glares at him. "I should", he spats, then he walks away, barely giving Yami the time to hide behind a tree.
Raphael stands still, not taking his eyes from the trees, hands clenched at his sides. Yami turns to leave, thinking that the other is too absorbed to notice. "Yami", the deep voice calls him back and he sheepishly steps out of the shadow of the tree.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to listen", he apologises quickly, lowering his eyes.
"It does not matter", Raphael replies wearily, and when Yami looks up he is still staring at the trees.
"Is there anything I can do?", he wants to know, but the tall man shakes his head.
They are silent for long seconds as a frosty wind picks up, promising snow and bitter cold to come.
"You wanted to ask me something?" Finally Raphael's eyes meet Yami's.
He nods and tries to phrase his question adequately.
"You…heard Seto Kaiba's challenge today, Raphael. I have to accept because of something that happened a long time ago, in the presence of those very same eyes. I thought they would never challenge me again, yet I wished so much for that challenge. I need to accept. And I want you to teach me…how to catch…if it does not bother you"
"I understand", Raphael replies calmly, leaning back against the trunk of a tree. "It does not bother me. We can start tomorrow."
"Thank you", Yami whispers and bows slightly.
The wind picks up further as he walks back to the camp, pulling his jacket tightly around himself to protect his body from the chill. Nonetheless he cannot stop shivering. Grey clouds are looming on the horizon, the sun has long vanished. It will be dark soon.
Sighing he closes the door to his house, hoping for more warmth inside. After warming his hands up with a hot cup of tea he begins to write his homework assignment. With the beginning of spring Siegfried will end his regular schooling. At one of the national schools he will have to pass an examination before he will obtain a diploma. This is where school ends for him, unless he leaves the circus for further education.
Scribbling the final lines then throwing his pen down, Yami stands and leaves his room to meet his brother in the kitchen, a daily ritual they have established during those winter months.
The younger boy is already waiting for him, a pot of white rice and a pan of chicken stew on the table. The smell of exotic herbs fills the room.
"Thanks for cooking, Yugi", he smiles as he sits down. "You shouldn't have, though, it was my turn"
Yugi shrugs. "I wanted to," he explains, returning the smile. "You know that I enjoy cooking"
Yami nods. "That's why you are so good at it." He helps himself to some rice and stew and begins to eat.
When both their plates are empty and Yami leans back, wiping his mouth, Yugi shakes his head and demands gently, "Alright, what happened?"
He is a magician, Yami knows, he feels things and looks into others' souls. From the day of his birth he has been able to see what no one else can see.
"I….met someone today…someone I have not seen for a long time and did not ever want to see again, for I humiliated myself in front of his eyes."
"Ah", Yugi nods. "Seto Kaiba, your new trapeze partner. But that is not all."
Yami tries not to wonder how Yugi knows. After all this time he should get used to the other's reading him.
"No", he confirms. "He challenged me to learn catching, so I went to ask Raphael for help. I heard him fight with Amelda. I am worried. It is not right for a trapeze team to be unable to trust one another. You have to be absolutely sure of your partner on the trapeze."
Yugi looks at him for a long minute, thinking. Something about his eyes takes the weight off Yami's shoulders, gives security. "Changes are not easy", his little brother finally says, "and often jealousy comes with a shift in an already established group of friends. Time and hard work force a group together. You cannot escape each other – the only other route is to make your way side by side. You will find your way and your trust."
"Thank you for believing in us, Yugi", Yami mumbles quietly, looking at the smaller boy, then he chuckles softly. "You talk like Jii-chan. But you never quite talked like a little boy, always more like an old man."
Yugi laughs too. "It's the words of an old man you need far more often than those of your little brother, I know," he replies mischievously.
They clean the plates and cutlery, then wish each other good night with a hug.
Sleep does not come quickly for Yami that night. He is tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position while the day's events are passing before his eyes.
Only with Yugi's comforting words in his ear does he finally find sleep.
"Now", Raphael says, deep concentration on his face, and his hands dive forward to meet Valon's hands and catch them securely in his grasp. The younger boy swings forward once, then back, performing a backwards flip on the reverse spring and landing on his own bar, steadied by Amelda. Sitting on a second bar, Yami is watching the tall catcher, trying to feel Valon's exact rhythm, the rhythm he has to get used to if he wants to catch him.
He has never been forced to watch his fellow artists so closely. He sees mistakes and small inequalities, but it does not matter, for Raphael catches and catches and always knows just where to extend his hands to his partner.
"It is your turn now", he finally says, looking at Yami as he sits up and moves away from the catching bar. "We are now exchanging places. Keep the ropes tight so Valon won't fall even if Yami doesn't catch him the first time." He does not look at Amelda as he says this and there is no affirmation from below. Valon, though, seems oblivious. Fearlessly, he prepares to jump.
Yami leans backwards on the bar until he is hanging with the bar in the hollows of his knees, waiting. "Ready?", Valon calls from the pedestal.
"Yes", Yami answers, eyes narrowed in concentration. The position is awkward and he feels the blood pounding in his ears.
Taking a relaxing breath, Valon bends his knees and jumps. There he is, just in front of Yami, and for a second, Yami believes he might get hit by Valon's foot. Then those feet rise into the air and he has to raise his head with difficulty so he can watch Valon come down again. He stretches out his hands and ….they barely meet with Valon's.
"Good!", Raphael calls, while Yami performs the reverse swing. "And again! Just a little bit sooner. You're doing it right." He helps Yami to steady the bar, then watches as he again leans down, preparing for the second catch. Again and again Valon's hands clasp around his, resting his weight and the momentum of his jump on Yami's hands, intensifying it even in the new swing, poised for the next movement.
Only once Yami misses Valon's left hand, catching only the right one. They take the time to swing once back and forth while Valon reaches up with his second hand, grasping Yami's outstretched fingers securely.
After an hour they climb down from the training rigging and Raphael pats Yami's shoulder. "You improved enormously this last week. Soon you will be able to do the most difficult of catches. You are truly a natural."
"I'll never be as good as you. You are so much stronger than me", Yami answers modestly, still smiling at the praise.
"You may not have this strength", Raphael shrugs his answer off, "but you have the skill. And since you will not be expected to catch a whole evening, strength does not matter that much anymore."
"Thank you", Yami smiles. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watches Seto Kaiba who only now climbs the rigging for his own training. They all wonder how he is doing it without a partner. "Do you think…I could already try…?"
Raphael's eyes too wander up to the solitary member of their team, who is busy attaching the security ropes to his body. "I think you could", he answers quietly. "But don't take any risks just yet."
"I won't", Yami promises, even as he sets his foot onto one of the ladders leading up to the gym ceiling where the pedestals and flying bars are attached.
When Raphael and the two other flyers leave, the hall is empty but for Seto Kaiba and Yami, who is climbing the rigging with the pace of a squirrel. The other man notices him only when he reaches the top, opposite him. His blue eyes focus on Yami, emotionless, but for a heartbeat all life seems to stop around them.
"Seto Kaiba", Yami shouts then, clasping security ropes in his hands to attach them, never taking his eyes off the other. "I want to begin our training"
He says now what should have been said a few weeks ago when Seto Kaiba first arrived at the camp. It should have been said before the first snow fell, before, furtively, the first Christmas presents were bought or even discovered carefully hidden somewhere. It should have been said when the future was still open. The words would not have been so grim.
Seto Kaiba is not deterred by the coldness ringing in those words. "Then we will begin", he states calmly, his own ice crushing that of his partner. His hands reach for the flying bar. "You catch first."
Climbing onto the bar, Yami wipes his suddenly sweaty hands on his training clothes where white magnesia powder still clings to the fabric. He pats them together and a tiny cloud of white powder rises into the air. Effortlessly, he lets himself sink backwards, the bar sliding into the hollows of his knees. He turns his head, strained in concentration, watching Seto Kaiba prepare for the jump.
He has never seen Seto Kaiba fly before, does not know his rhythm as he has learned Amelda's or Valon's during those last few weeks. The other man is extremely tall, compared to all of them. If he is a flyer, he has to have a certain weight limit, but he is still going to be heavier than the two small flyers Yami has trained with. Neither the length of his arms nor the speed of his flight are known to Yami. But as he raises his eyes to Yami's, there is the challenge again, and when Seto Kaiba jumps, Yami understands and he is ready.
Those long legs surge up in front of his face, a simple somersault, then the first contact of hands, like a bolt of lightning. He is lighter than he looks, but all his limbs are long and unfamiliar. The swing back is followed by the reverse swing and Seto Kaiba is surging up again. He does not reach out for his former bar.
Yami watches the lean body twist in the air, completely emotionless. He knows if he cannot catch Seto Kaiba he may fall. He does not even know if someone is steadying the security ropes from below. He knows but does not comprehend the thought. Fascination is all that registers. It is impossible to catch Seto Kaiba, for he is already swinging back. It is impossible to reverse the swing quickly enough.
All that Yami sees is the challenge. There is no panic, not even mild comprehension of danger. There is nothing but a fierce look of concentration in his eyes, and suddenly a faint idea. As he swings back, he lets his hands hang low to increase the momentum, then uses exactly this natural force to lift his body out of its hanging position, raising it above the steel bar as if sitting on it again, but plunging forward even as he reaches the point of sitting, completing a total circling of the bar in the hollows of his knees. His hands reach out, and it's enough. They make contact with Seto Kaiba's.
With the contact comes understanding. With understanding comes a wave of fear, shock, exultation and adrenaline. With the adrenaline comes the fast pounding of his heart and the heavy frightened breath. Swing back, reverse swing, letting go. Seto Kaiba sails towards the next flying bar, grasps it, lands fluidly on the pedestal.
Yami sits up. He meets the other man's eyes and for a second they are staring at each other. Yami feels his body shaking with fear and with fury, but he is unable to voice any of the thoughts running rampant through his head.
Seto Kaiba nods. "So I was right."
"Right in assuming what?", Yami whispers harshly, panting the words.
"Right in assuming you cope well with danger, Gypsy", is the answer delivered with a cold blue look. "Even when you were twelve I believed you extraordinary. You were skilled and you were daring." Seto Kaiba gives a mirthless laugh. "That is what I came here for. Courage, skill and daring. You accepted my challenge."
Yami does not say anything as he climbs down from the rigging and leaves the gym.
A sudden blackness takes his mind as he makes his way up the path towards the circus camp. Insecurity makes him stumble. Anger makes him grit his teeth. He is searching his mind for a place where he will be able to regain calm and security, and within his mind he finds it. But when he looks through the window of Raphael's house to find out if he is at home, he sees him lying on the sofa with Amelda in his arms. They seem to be talking quietly, drinking wine together. Carefully, Yami steps back from the window.
There is yet another place he can go to, and he finds his steps leading him to Bakura's door. His white-haired friend who opens the door for him proves an unbelievable sight, were Yami not used to the razor-sharp knives he holds in his left and right hand and even between his teeth, in the thick knot of his hair and hanging from his belt.
"Bakura, can I come in?", he wants to know and the other pulls the door wide open without a word.
"If it does not bother you that I'm cleaning my knives and that Ryou is there…", he adds, leading Yami into the living room.
"No, it's alright", Yami assures him and greets Ryou with a slight smile and a nod.
"Yami, you look pale", Ryou states sitting in an armchair with a book in his lap. Knives are everywhere, on the tables, the boards, and even the sofa. "Did something happen?"
"As a matter of fact, yes", Yami answers softly, taking his seat next to a sword the length of his forearm.
Outside the sky is slowly darkening and when Bakura returns with a cup of coffee he places in Yami's hands, he switches on the lights. Then he grabs one of the smaller swords and a little rug, beginning to rub it repeatedly over the iron surface. "Explain", he growls in his usual, low and dangerous voice, eyes on the sword.
"I trained with Seto Kaiba today for the first time", he answers, barely suppressing a shiver.
"The new trapeze artist?", Ryou wants to know and Bakura nods.
"Yes. I had accepted his challenge of learning how to catch. I felt ready to show him"
"Quite natural", Bakura huffs, experimentally bending one of the knives between his fingers, then continuing to rub it. "You always feel the need to prove yourself to others. Did you fall off?"
"No", Yami sighs, "I did the catching part and….Seto Kaiba did something I had not expected. When I had let go of him and was swinging back after the catch, he just spiralled himself up into the air. Not forward where he could grab the bar. He performed another trick, knowing I would not be able to reach him anymore the conventional way. I used inertia to swing right around the bar and caught him in the fall. Only then did I understand the danger. And he said he had been looking for daring and skill, coming here. He said he came because he saw those things in me. And I left."
They are silent for a moment. One of the knives cuts through the air, embedding itself with a sickening sound in one of the wooden walls that separates the kitchen from the living room. Bakura walks after it to pull it out again. "He sounds very crazy to me", he comments. "Why does it bother you so much?"
"That's what I don't understand", Yami whispers, sipping his coffee, "For five years I thought I wanted this, a second chance to prove myself to him. And now that I have it, I am disappointed and angry."
Bakura has finished wiping yet another knife clean and aims it carelessly at the wall.
"Maybe that's not all you wanted after all", he shrugs. The knife hits the wooden surface.
Silently, Yami lifts his head, eyes slightly wider than before. Ryou smiles at him. "Yes, maybe you wanted him to respect you not only as a flyer or catcher, but as a person."
"…..someone who encourages him and is always by his side."
Outside, the cold wind picks up again. Snowflakes mingle in the cold, forming rough crystals. Inside, Yami's forgotten coffee is rapidly cooling while the young artist stares out into the darkness, Ryou watching him carefully and Bakura wiping a bronze dagger with his rug and a frown on his face.