//Because we are partners// were the thoughts that invaded the younger mans mind smoothly.
"Partners?" he questioned quite distressed.
//Yes Aibou (1), Partners//
Just then a rumbling sound echoed throughout the room, sounding like it came from the other side of the cage wall.
The gate man tensed up and clenched his hands into fists while lowering his head again and stilling his body not to make a move. A giant golden eye glowed across the caged wall and created force fields in and around the bars, as from within a huge mass approached, roaring and shaking the room.
He also froze to stare on with petrified fear as massive tidal waves of black sloshed into his view and slammed into the golden field with a tremendous collision, but was repelled. Again and again it hit the field, morphing its dark shape into different forms, different creatures, different people until it reeled back to swirl, coil and tighten its changing shape into tendrils with clawed hands randomly placed. The tendrils struck again, and like when they faced the amethyst eyed teen earlier, they stalled but moved determinedly forward. Quivering violently but moving forward inch by inch towards its jailer. Claws racked deep into the back of Atemu, who made not a sound, but instead made the field stronger so that the shadows were being pushed back as his own blood fell to the floor.
He could do nothing but look on in horror before finally snapping out of his reverie, "Atemu!" he cried out to the others pain. Said mans head snapped up again and the field waned. The clawed shadows swiftly struck and utterly shattered the field. Looking on in silence once again the blackest shadows fell limp to the ground to become still but they still progressed slowly by oozing between the bars. The ever slow movement lengthening out to the Egyptian mans feet.
"No!" he cried out running towards Atemu to give him aid. The shadows shrunk fearfully away from the light, but they then stretched after the pretty light that seemed like a quick addiction to them, in the process effectively trapping him as he tried desperately to rip the shadows off the others feet.
The oozing height level of the black shadows rose higher and eventually encircled both the men, his own struggling body floated upwards in the unrelenting hold of the shadows till he was level with the older man. Desperately he grabbed hold of Atemu's shoulder to prevent himself from being washed away in the breakneck flow.
This situation seemed hopeless to him, sooner or later he would be swept away surely. He lifted panic stricken purple eyes to Atemu who was concentrating as hard as possible to resurrect his shattered field.
I need to do something! I have to help. He quickly glanced upon Atemu's caged form for some answer.
Then the idea hit him like a brick.
"Don't worry, I'm going to free you!" shouted the smaller above the roar of the shadows. He grabbed the gag on the Egyptian and pulled. The other grunted in protest and the few shards that had levitated fell onto the surface of the shadow. But he needed to help; so he pulled harder. Harder and even harder he pulled until his body responded to his will and glowed luminously causing the shadows to temporarily recede. Atemu made noises in the back of his throat as black speared tendrils quickly zoomed out and rose above the pair, about to strike and be closer to that delectable light.
A bullet whizzed past Anzu's cheek and the girl looked to the rear away from the groaning Atemu she held.
"Not at a time like this, Atemu, behind us!"
The man looked behind him at the swift people on horse back that were following, guns held at ready and cloaks covering them from head to toe.
"Ride! And… whatever you do… don't stop!" he blurted as he kicked his horse into gear and the small party pelted down the muddy road, foes not far behind. The rain was insistent and never ended as it pounded down on the people as they flew over the country side haphazardly. The burning black puzzle unnoticed and forgotten, they continued through the pelting rain.
But it was unexpectedly then that Atemu felt something pulling harshly from his face, pulling so hard and painfully he grunted quietly from the back of his throat as his eyes were forced shut under the mental assault. He leaned dangerously close over the horse.
"Atemu!" screamed a voice, but he had already over balanced and his body plummeted off the horse into the thick mud, his horse ran on but one of the crates fell off just in front of him with a splosh. Thinking quickly he reached up his hand to the lid of the crate and opened it to get a gun, maybe he could slow these people down to let his friends escape. Stretching his arm his fingers brushed over the gun barrel.
Suddenly a foot crunched down his hand that was against the metal, making a disturbing crunching noise. Atemu cried out loudly in pain as the bandit twisted his foot further without a sound uttered from his mouth.
"Should we will head forward to catch the other ones on the pass?"
"No!" cried out Atemu as he shot his head forward to bite down hard on the first mans leg, hoping he would step back giving him a chance to escape, the guy grunted but used his other leg to kick his head and send him careening back. Lying still where he fell he was in another world of pain. The mental and physical assault was that mind numbing on his senses, he simply lay there, the rest of the bandits deciding he wasn't going anywhere.
"It seems the others might be useful, go get" the first bandit ordered.
His own mind lazily tormented itself with his body's weakness and pain, he felt terrible but this time chose not to have the energy to listen to the voices. As he gazed at the oppressing sky dark tendrils hazed in from the sides of his vision, apparent to claim his consciousness.
Don't worry I'm going to free you! Was whispered dominantly among his mental caverns and the darkness around his vision receded slightly.
Unexpectantly the glowing outline of an unknown, but familiar being appeared before him. It gripped his shoulders and what seemed to be tears cascaded down the angelic face.
'Breathtaking,' he thought to himself.
Or maybe that was just the darkness invading his vision? Regardless his depressed mind quickly realised that something was slowly stealing his breath away.
'I'm dying…' were his last thoughts as his life sustenance flowed freely out from his still lips in a deep sigh. The bandits took no notice as they continued to raid the crate left in the mud. The rains insistent drumming fell freely on all.
The tears fell freely down his unbelieving facial expression as Atemu deeply sighed out his last lungful of air, slowly relaxing his bloody body; the many shadow spears protruding freely throughout it. Desperately, knowing what to come if nothing was done, he looked around for something, anything that would help. 'Atemu must not die,' was the only line of thought that ran through his skull.
'Atemu must not die! Atemu must not die!!!'
Something glinted on the surface of the dark and he grabbed it swiftly. Yanking it free from the clingy blackness he winced as the sharp edges of the large shield shard cut quickly into his hand. He ignored it and reached the sharp shard towards the Egyptian's paling face. With his tears and blood cascading down, he pressed it determinedly against the gag of sewn darkness.
With a cry he wrenched it downwards and the fabric cut precisely and floated down a bit before evaporating all together. Everything seemed to have frozen itself as Atemu's chapped lips parted slowly.
"Leave" the Egyptian uttered and mass of shadows withdrew the shadow spears slowly out of the body as the gate man forced in a much needed breath.
"LEAVE!" in a flicker the dark whipped its varying forms away in every direction, away, away one of their few fears; From the King of Shadows.
The pair of men remained in the cold room, somehow still both alive and in slight disbelief of it. His arms and legs were still clinging onto Atemu for dear life, his natural light again filling the gaping holes that were left upon the elder. Atemu's wounds all closed and completely healed without a trace with some time.
"Thankyou… Aibou" the other whispered finally, leaning his head onto his shoulder tiredly.
"Y-you're welcome" he mumbled back.
Suddenly a large purple door glowed in the distance. He looked fearfully at it, tensing up his entire body, Atemu noticed this.
"Aibou? What's wrong?" he said with concern laced through his baritone voice. He hugged Atemu tighter, "Its-"
The door crashed open and gale winds whipped up out of no where causing Atemu's back to float before the gate and his own grip to loosen dangerously. Slipping down he yelled in alarm.
"Aibou?!?!" Was the only word Atemu could say before screaming, he slipped and was wept away to the door.
"AIBOU!!!" was called after him as he whizzed over stone floors, black masses and down dark halls before reaching a blinding light.
Life was suddenly forced back into his system, but it felt beyond pain, it was madness. Yelling and screaming Atemu stood abruptly and pulled insanely at his hair as his crimson eyes rolled into the back of his head and the puzzle floated amidst its own darkness.
Black substances pored forth from his gaping mouth and struck the surprised bandits full on. The bandits bodies was easily consumed and their own darkness quickly fled the physical bodies in waves of fear; their light being trampled into non-existence in the process. The darkness channelled itself and finally beamed high into the sky, disappearing through the clouds. When this experience finally stopped, all the upright bodies crumpled to the ground easily, he being the only one left alive.
Falling to his knees his eyes rolled forward and slowly focused on the sky. It was glowing, for the first time in his life, he watched in speechless awe, through the hole he had just made in the clouds, at the almighty, legendary sun. But even more surprisingly was the same glowing outline there again, floating above him, dappled poetically in the sunlight. Both seemed to look at each other confusedly before the glowing one touched his face.
"Atemu."
"Who are you?" he whispered tiredly.
The outline fizzled and distorted abruptly but finally stilled again. "You call me Aibou. Because we are partners"
"Partners?"
He could hear voices in the distance coming towards him and he absently noticed the puzzle's light dim to white and cease floating altogether. As it touched his chest the glowing outline faded away and the puzzle lost its own light.
"Aibou…" he mumbled before collapsing to one side, he noticed a group of people running towards him but he just needed sleep. So into the dark embrace of unconsciousness he easily fell.
The small patch of light he lay in slowly closed before he was showered with rain and dark once again.
Purple eyes opened and gazed again into the dark room with blue carpeted floors again and broken things littered about.
There seem to be two different Atemu's.
Woo that was fun! Read enjoy and be merry everyone! And sure all of you have guessed who the mysterious guy is but i wont tspoil just in case
Aibou(1) means partners, Yami usually calls ----- this to boost his confidence and whatnot