Duel Six: HoW mUcH lOnGeR
Mai was leading us (as in Rex and I) along a dirt-ridden trail and with each step, I became more nervous than the last. Following Mai and Rex would lead to running back into Minoru and Ran, as much as I would enjoy chastising Minoru and chatting with Ran again, I simply was not comfortable with returning to them now.
Another thing, I did not want to return to them, it should be the other way around! First of all, Minoru ran off with not so much as a kind word back at me – he should definitely come crawling back to me to grovel for forgiveness. Ran I could handle a light apology, I was the one who basically left her, but she hesitated!
I guess I wasn't really the forgiving type.
Thinking this, my mind began to engage on another 'runaway' plan. I'm fairly certain Mai would get me into the castle after the duel she wants, but now that I think about it, if I go along with her now I would meet up with Yugi and his friends, which meant Minoru and Ran.
If I stayed with Mai long enough and did reach the castle with her, I would probably end up meeting the same group if they managed to gain ten star chips around the same time.
It might be a little immature, but I didn't want to be around Minoru or Ran until they knew they made mistakes. I'm not going to be the one to bring up our argument and I was not going to apologize (except to maybe Ran of course.)
This led me to two options – run off on my own towards the castle and somehow manage to get in or hide when we came across Minoru and Ran.
Recalling our incident with the security guards coming off the ship, I decided hiding wasn't my greatest option. Yet if I went off on my own…well, I do have a couple of lunchmeat sandwiches left (Mai had been providing me with food since I lied to her about not having any of my own.) What would I do? The first thought that came to mind was getting to the castle and figuring out how to get into it, undetected that is I doubt the guards will just let me stroll into it to speak with Pegasus. Unless Pegasus was present near the front of the castle…the very idea made my heart feel funny.
Thinking more over the subject made my mind feel a little fuzzy and at some point I stopped walking. Rex, who had been walking closest (Mai was further ahead of us) was the first to notice my absence.
"Hey, kid, you coming?" Rex said, I had been gazing upwards at the castle before snapping my gaze back at him, where I found Rex and Mai staring back me, frozen in their paces as well.
"Oh, yeah, just thought I saw a…uh deer!" Wow, lame excuse genius, deer don't live on islands. I growled inwardly, deer DO live in Japan though! After correcting myself, I barely registered Rex saying something under his breath about 'kids' and he and Mai continued on their small trek.
I resumed my walk in deep thought, frowning, I peered back up at the castle. I huffed, this wasn't about Ran, Minoru, Mai's duel, or even the tournament taking place.
How much longer do I have to wait? Images of Mama, Father, and Auntie Ai raced across my mind. My eyes began to tear and a sick feeling of homesickness snuck into the pit of my stomach. Feeling my eyes burn red, I hurried off in a perpendicular direction to Mai and Rex. They didn't hear nor notice my retreating figure, but even if I didn't check, I wouldn't have cared unless they came chasing after me.
I didn't realize this kind of feeling could come on so fast, nor have I ever felt it before. Perhaps it had something to do being my first trip (with permission or without) ever without being with one of my parents or my aunt. Sure, my trips never expanded past the small picnics my class would sometimes take in the nearby park at my school, but they never lasted longer than an hour or two. Here it's been a couple of days and suddenly I was feeling miserable.
Crying pathetically into my arms after finding a secluded spot in between some bushy trees, sobs racked my small body until I quieted and I fell asleep in the shade of the trees.
I had a dream, like most protagonists do in the cheesy kid shows I sometimes managed to watch or heard my classmates talk about. Yet I wasn't in a deserted hallway running in place trying to get to the end of it and being unsuccessful.
I woke up where I fell asleep in this dream, the main difference between the forest now and then was that everything had a greater, darker shadow. It looked like the outline to everything seemed made out of ink drawn with a bamboo brush, the breeze was constant, so the trees were constantly swaying and making typical leaf-swaying sounds.
I stood up, I felt light but that was probably because I didn't have my backpack on. Another thing I noticed was my change in clothes – I was in a white, sleeveless dress with floral hemming.
Without a sound, I stepped forward, my foot didn't make any noise once it made contact with the ground. I wasn't worried, or at least I didn't feel worried.
"Max?" a voice called out softly, I stopped quickly. Baffled I craned my neck, trying to find the person who spoke. The voice belonged to a woman, one that had sweet, gentle nature. I shook my head, no one came to mind when it came to being sweet.
"Max?" the woman continued to call out, her voice didn't sound any closer, in fact, she sounded like she was right behind me. I was proven wrong when I turned around and found nothing but air. Birds chirped in the distance and the voice remained silent.
"Max…?" The voice began to trail off as if she were leaving me, when I went to speak, a large hand landed on my left shoulder. Nearly jumping out of my skin, I reluctantly peered up at the owner to the hand. My eyes widened.
Celtic Guardian? I would have said it if it were not for another voice that spoke up at the same time I was about to open my mouth.
"Cyndia?" this time a familiar, masculine voice spoke up, again, without an owner. My eyes whizzed around looking for the man whom had spoken, but the elf's hand softly squeezed my shoulder. My gaze landed on him again, his liquid orange eyes making contact with my own. He didn't speak, I don't believe he could, but his expression remained stoic and blank. I wanted to ask what was going on and how a Duel Monster card was, well, not a card.
Something soft whispered in my ear in what might have been the Celtic Guardian's voice as it sounded nothing like the other two voices.
You cannot help them. I frowned, that wasn't my intention to begin with.
The forest shifted around us and panic entered my system when a cloaked being appeared across from the Celtic Guardian and I. Instinctively, I backed up into the elf with fear written all over my features. The creature's cloak was black and beneath it's hood I could make out glowing white eyes and a sad mouth. It held out a ratted, gnarled hand and a giant scythe materialized into it. I went pale.
Blood marked the edges of the scythe's blade and I automatically clung to the Celtic Guardian's arm when he placed it over me, pulling his cape along with his fingers to partially hide me from the monster.
Was it another Duel Monster?
The creature gave out an ethereal, cackling shriek and I noticed how the Celtic Guardian's sword had been drawn and readied before it.
The black creature lunged at us, scythe raised, poised, aiming for me.
"Cyndia!"
The woman never answered the man back.
I woke up from the dream with a shudder, not in a cold sweat like I had just ran a marathon, but I was shaken. I had probably been sleeping for only an hour or so, the sun was still burning brightly above the island. Getting back up onto my now wobbly legs, I tried to shrug off the nightmare as just that, a nightmare.
On the other hand, I couldn't ignore the feeling that the dream had to do with something, but what? Why? And what was with Celtic Guardian being in my dream? He had no business there.
I figured, in the end, if the black creature had to be in there, it was probably a good thing the Celtic Guardian was around.
With a tired sigh (even though I had just awoken) I heaved the backpack up and around my shoulders before recollecting my thoughts. Easily spotting the castle's tall towers through the tree canopies, I began walking toward it. As I walked I became paranoid – I felt every tree hid a sinister, cloaked monster with a blood-stained scythe preparing to strike me down. Going into a jog then into a run, I tore through the grass toward the castle, my paranoia giving me the impression there is something watching me.
I slowed down when I left the forest behind and entered a sort of clearing beside the base of the castle. Looking up at it, my eyes became huge. I was under the impression a dragon would suddenly appear on the tip top with flames sparking from it's nostrils.
"Let me outta here!" I started, looking around for the person – a boy – who yelled. When I couldn't see anyone, I began having massive déjà vu.
"Wait till my brother gets here!" The boy's voice was soft even though I could tell he was shouting, I heard something heavy moving. Looking at the castle, I found a door opening and quickly hid into some nearby bushes.
"Shut up, Runt!" It was Kemo, I gulped as I ducked further into the bushes. After Kemo and a couple of his goons walked off, the door began to shut. Wasting no time and thinking this being my one and only opportunity, I bolted from the bushes and dove through the door.
I discovered the hard way diving through a door was not a great idea – I accidently progressed into a somersault which thumped my head into the concrete floor, successfully knocking the wind out of my lungs for several seconds.
"Whoa, are you okay?" it was the boy I heard before, but a sudden throbbing on the top of my head made it hard for me to understand him at first. Tears pricked at my corneas and grasping my head, I felt something wet and sticky.
"Hey, you're bleeding!" the boy cried, concern evident in his tone. I clutched my head in agony and the cries coming out of me made my headache even worse.
"Hey! Somebody! HELP!" the boy cried out, but it seemed no one could hear him. Opening one eye I managed to make out we were in the castle's basement, or dungeon by the looks of those bars.
"Here, hold on! Could you try and get over here – closer to me?" the boy asked, trying to think through the pain and feel moving anymore would be beneficial, I kicked at the floor in attempt to push my way over to the boy that was behind the bars.
"A little closer…" the boy said as he reached out through the bars, my sobbing began to slowly ebb away and I reached out with one of my hands that had been clutching at my bleeding scalp. The boy's hand wrapped around my forearm and he helped me the rest of the way.
The boy helped me raise my head and put something under it. I figured it was a pillow, but when my eyes began to droop he pushed something against my fresh wound.
"OWW!" A string of swear words I heard Father use whenever he stubs his toe or something in the news happens he doesn't shot out of my mouth. The boy had a smile in his voice.
"There, that should stop the bleeding – or at least, I hope it will. I think it would be a good idea for you not to fall asleep though," the boy said, I nodded weakly, my hands over my forehead, covering my tearing eyes.
"Right, concussions…" I managed to mumble out, trying to sound somewhat smart after my stupid mishap with the floor.
Lesson learned: never dive headfirst through a door.
The boy nodded.
"My name's Mokuba," the boy introduced himself, I gave him a thumbs up.
"Cool," I choked out, he frowned.
"What's your name?" he asked, I hesitated.
"Penny," I eventually answered, Mokuba nodded.
"You're not from Japan are you?" he asked, I gave him a weak, but smart look.
"I don't know," I answered, I wasn't sure if I was being honest or not.
"How do you not know? Did that bump make you forget?" he lightly joked, I would have shook my head if it weren't hurting so badly.
"I live in Japan," I replied, "but that doesn't mean I'm from it,"
"That would explain the hair," Mokuba was sharp, I really liked it and the fact he wasn't mean or being nasty really soothed my nerves, too bad it couldn't do much against my pain. Since I started really socializing with other kids (alias Ran and Minoru) I felt I would have been alienated like before.
"Not many blonde people in Japan," he continued, I smiled softly to myself. A light pink perked up on my cheeks.
Mokuba continued talking for the next several minutes that eventually became thirty, a while later I was able to sit up, but I held the cloth to my head where the bleeding had stopped. The pain along my skull subsided a little and Mokuba kindly ignored the small amount of blood I had accidently smeared along my face earlier.
"Why are you locked up in here?" I finally asked, Mokuba eyed the iron bars with disgust.
"Because of him, Maximillion Pegasus." Mokuba growled, I started slightly.
"He's after my big brother's company and he's holding me hostage, or something like that." Mokuba explained, his dark eyes set off into a corner of his cell as if he were analyzing it. The dungeon was dimly lit and I had half a mind to take out my lantern now that I could think clearly.
"When you feel a little better you're gonna have to get out before they find you – they could put you in a cell too and then we'd BOTH get stuck in here!" Mokuba claimed, he blinked as put the bloodied cloth down then slid my backpack off. If the light was any brighter I would have seen the specks of blood on it too, but I couldn't see that well and had to grope around the inside of the bag before I pulled out the lantern.
At the same time, my deck came piling out, the cards scattered between us.
"Hey, are those Duel Monster cards?" Mokuba questioned as he reached out through the bars and picked one up before I could gather them back together.
"Yeah," I automatically replied as I snapped the lantern on, Mokuba picked one card up after the other, collecting them and putting the deck back together for me as he did.
"My big brother owns this huge company that makes holograms for Duel Monsters, maybe you've heard of it – wait, who am I kidding, of COURSE you know of it! Kaiba Corporation! You know it right?" asked Mokuba, I noticed how every time he spoke of his brother his eyes lit up with admiration.
"It sounds familiar," I muttered out as Mokuba skimmed through my cards in his hands again.
"Do you like to play Duel Monsters or do you just like to collect them?" he asked, he seemed confident that I might not have ever dueled with them before and I had a right mind to tell him I had dueled and the opponent was Rex Raptor. I lost, but still, I did duel with the cards and that was the point.
"Uh, both." I replied, Mokuba smiled.
"Well, it's an O.K. deck for an amateur." Mokuba stated, I stuck my tongue out at him.
"I'm glad you approve," whenever I used grown-up phrases, Father would praise me, Mokuba started laughing.
"You're funny," he said as he moved forward to give me back the cards. I grasped them in one hand before taking a glance at the first card.
Castle Walls… I looked at the next card and it was the Dragon Capture Jar. I frowned and Mokuba took notice.
"What's wrong?" he asked, I didn't respond.
Was it some kind of coincidence? Remembering the cards I pulled individually from the pack once I returned home from a shopping spree with Ran, I couldn't help but wonder.
"Mokuba, is…Pegasus a mean person?" I asked nervously, Mokuba's eyebrows rose then furrowed.
"He kidnapped me! Well, he didn't, his goons did, but…" as Mokuba ranted on about some business deal I wasn't aware of and perfectly indifferent to, my mind wandered off. What if this whole trip led to nothing? Should I have waited until I was old enough to read in English then go back to the papers? Were they even adoption papers to begin with?
I closed my eyes tightly.
No, they had to be adoption papers. How else would that explain the different surname? How else would that explain my strange first name?
Penelope Kimura.
PLP
Penelope Lucy Pegasus.
Would Father and Mama even have told me in the future? This whole experience, camping outside without a tent, stowing away, avoiding the guards, grouping up with the great Yugi Mutou and his friends, meeting Mai, dueling Rex, would all of that even matter in the end?
"Hey," Mokuba whispered, I felt the cool touch of his knuckles graze my cheek.
"Was it something I said?" he continued, guilt laced his purple irises.
"I'm all right," I replied, although I couldn't even convince myself. Mokuba's features relaxed slightly, but the sound of approaching footfalls and the clang of a steel door opening then closing made us both jump to our feet.
The quick movement made my head feel dizzy and I slumped backwards where I found support in the wall opposite of Mokuba's cell.
"Hey, Mokuba – wait, hold on! Kemo!" it was one of the security officers! When I went to move someone grabbed my upper arm and yanked me off my feet. I cried out and went to kick at whatever I could hit. I nailed the one holding me in the shin, but his hold on my arm didn't relinquish.
"It's that girl!" Kemo's voice rang through the dungeon. The smirk was in his voice as he continued to speak. "Oh good, now we can send her back."
A light shone on me, one of the guards hissed.
"Not like this we aren't," a lesser guard spoke up, Mokuba began to yell.
"Leave her alone! She hit her head really hard!" he shouted, the guard holding me must have been Kemo, the other guards at least sounded merciful enough that they probably would have let me stand on my own feet.
"Sir, we have one of the kids that stowed away down here in the dungeon." Kemo spoke into a walkie talkie as Mokuba's cell door was opened and the boy was dragged out into the open.
The device crackled a little.
"Put her back on the ship and send her back home," another man replied, Kemo snarled.
"She's pretty banged up, should we let her get First Aid on the ship then?" Kemo didn't sound like he cared, so I tried not to feel too special.
More crackling.
"Pegasus-sama says bring her to the Medical Ward we have in the castle and let her be treated. We'll put her back on the boat before tonight," my eyes widened as my hand snapped up and swiped the walkie out of Kemo's hands. The man was in shock and stammered as he tried to get it back.
"Hey! I want to talk to Pegasus!" I cried into it, hoping I worked it right as Kemo snatched the walkie from my hand. Mokuba gave me a strange look, I gave him a disappointed look as I watched him being dragged away into the shadows deeper into the dungeon.
"Kemo!" the man on the other side yelped.
"Kemo here sir, the brat got the walkie." Kemo snarled, I growled back up at him.
"I didn't come here to watch some tournament!" I cried tearfully, "Please! I'm so close!"
More crackling, Kemo eventually lowered me so my feet touched the floor.
"Bring her to the Medical Ward, that's all."
A/N:
Halfway through writing this I decided to take a break to watch Studio Ghibli's "Grave of the Fireflies" for the first time.
SPOILER BELOW
Damn depressing and I kind of wished I didn't continue writing till tomorrow or something, because all I can think about is that little girl dying and her brother having to cremate her himself *tears*
I need to go watch a Disney movie or a happier Ghibli film.
Hope everyone had a Happy New Year!