Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters from the anime. I own the plot and the Tide Whisperer.
Kisara: Yeah, I know. I like to prolong the suspense.
AnzuFan: I'm glad you like it. Here's some more. ^_^
Chapter Thirteen – Preparation
Atemu wasn't satisfied with the way he was fighting. He noticed how sluggish his movements were in the beginning to compensate for getting used to the twinge of pain that shot from his shoulder. He had to do better. Yugi was in danger, and he was depending on Atemu to rescue him. Atemu couldn't afford those pain-laden moments to slow him down.
"Damn it!" He shouted as his grip loosened on his sword and the weapon fell from his hand. "Shit." He gripped his shoulder, berating himself for the intolerable slip up.
Not good enough!
Atemu had one more day to get ready before the Tide Whisperer reached Barcelona. One day to figure out how he was to keep the pain from causing distraction. He spun and kicked a chair which had the misfortune of being too close. It propelled across the room and slammed into the wall nearby, but it didn't do much to alleviate his rage.
Atemu Yamarai Santiago was a man who swore he would never allow another to defeat him. He had dueled against English pirates and had emerged with some inconsequential bruising and cuts. He had dove into shark-infested waters, slaughtered six hammerhead sharks all in time to rescue Seto and Mokuba before either of them could become attacked. He had fought, albeit with assistance, against seven drunkards in a bar and had come out with a knife wound, as compared to the seven very-dead men littering the ground at his feet.
He was the man who had escaped from the palm of Louis' hand and joined a pirate crew to protect his family from becoming ensnarled in Louis' schemes.
Now his brother was in danger, and by all the gods in the heavens, Atemu swore he would rescue Yugi.
For however long it takes to get Yugi to safety, Atemu would have to push past his pain. Afterward, if he lived or died, Atemu would know that at the very least Yugi was back where he belongs.
Atemu picked his sword up off the ground, tightened his grip, and waited for that thrumming numbness to take over. He raised his cutlass and lunged, meeting Seto's attack head-on.
It was an hour after sunset when Seto finally called a stop to the day's practice. Atemu looked extremely opposed to the order, but the kid was exhausted, and he couldn't do much more than stand there slumped against the wall and glare at the pirate. Atemu slid down to sit on the floor, sucking in great gulps of oxygen, and he closed his eyes to calm himself down.
He was a smart kid, and he knew that there were three essential parts to making a strong warrior; practice, getting enough sustenance, and plenty of rest. If he cancelled out the latter two in favor of increasing his focus on the former, then Atemu would become too exhausted to fight efficiently. A warrior must never have anything that could pose as a distraction, or it would be their death.
"Come on, kid." Seto coaxed and held out his hand to help Atemu to his feet, but the boy batted the pirate's hand away and pushed himself upright. He leaned against the wall for a moment to make sure that his legs wouldn't give out, and walked out of the room with Seto following close behind.
Atemu couldn't comprehend how his body could ache so deeply. He felt as though every muscle was knotted so tightly that even the slightest movement made his body scream in protest, for him to remain still. He had somehow gotten through supper and had immediately gone down to the crew quarters afterward. He climbed into his hammock, completely ignoring the thin blanket draped across the bunk. He lay facedown, one leg dangling off the side of the hammock, his head turned to face the wall, and immediately began drifting off to sleep.
He growled viciously when someone shook his uninjured shoulder in an attempt to rouse him. He turned his head toward the offensive bastard to find Seto hovering over him.
"What do you want?" He barked irritably. "If you've come for sex, you'll have to make do with your hand."
Seto narrowed his eyes and barred his teeth and Atemu's crude comment, but waved his temper away, reminding himself that Atemu had put in a grueling day of training.
"I need to take a look at your wound." He replied.
Atemu let out a sigh as he forced himself to get up out of his hammock. He followed Seto back to his cabin, and once inside, the pirate gestured for him to sit down on the edge of the bed.
Too exhausted to put up a fight, Atemu complied, leaning his elbows on his knees, his body arched slightly to make it easier for Seto to unravel the bandage.
In silence, Seto removed the soiled bandages and bloodied gauze before throwing them into the wastebasket. He grabbed a lantern and moved it to the nightstand to get a better view of the wound.
It looked raw and angry, dribbles of blood pooled over the gash and Seto had to wonder if it had become infected. The very last thing that they needed was for Atemu to come down with a fever.
Seto retrieved his medical supplies out of his trunk and immediately set to work. He wet a clean handkerchief and wiped the blood away, ground that hideous paste that Atemu would give his eyeteeth to do without. Seto added ginger root to the mixture that was ideal for stopping and reversing infection. Seto carefully began to spread the paste over and inside the wound. Atemu hissed ferociously, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles began turning white. Beneath his golden bangs, his eyes prickled from moisture. He brought one fist up and bit down on his knuckles to keep from screaming.
This concoction was the equivalent to the liquid fire Northern Europeans used to seer wounds closed. Seto had heard rumors that grown, brutish, mighty warrior men had broken down into hysterics under the liquid fire. Seto marveled at the boy's endurance.
Finally, Seto finished with the paste, placed a new square of gauze, and wrapped fresh bandages around Atemu's torso.
Even though he was finished, Atemu hadn't made a move to leave as Seto had thought he would.
"Hey." He called out, wondering if the boy had passed out from the pain of the treatment.
"Hmm…" Atemu dropped his hand from his mouth and let it fall into his lap, "Give me a minute." His voice sounded hoarse.
Seto cocked an eyebrow and then huffed out a breath before he sat down beside the boy.
"You do realize that tomorrow your cover is blown, right? The second Louis realizes he's got the wrong brother, he'll stop at nothing to get you back."
Atemu let out a bark of bitter laughter, "Motivational speaker you are not, captain." He raised his head to look Seto in the eye, his scarlet orbs glassy from unshed tears, "I know what I'm getting myself into."
"So, what do you plan on doing?" Seto questioned.
"I'm going to get Yugi out of Louis' hold and then I'll kill Louis. Nothing else matters, really, as long as Yugi's safe."
"You honestly think that?" Seto asked heatedly, "That you were born to play sword and shield for your brother?"
"I don't know."
Seto suddenly remembered how young the boy was. The uncertainty, the vulnerability, the confusion; it was all there, plan as day, on his face and in his eyes. He looked so lost, and in that moment, Seto's protective side surged violently.
But then Atemu blinked and it was gone, replaced by that numb arrogance that had become so familiar. It was almost heartbreaking to see such a passionate boy, one who has seen many horrors in his short life, become buried under that cold mask of acceptance.
"Now you listen, Santiago." Seto commanded, and Atemu turned to give him his full attention, "You were not born to become a sacrifice for your brother. Yeah, you can protect him all you like, but you will not walk off this ship tomorrow with your death clouding your judgment. Don't you dare think, even for a moment, that you're going to die tomorrow, or so help me, I will lock you in the brig."
Atemu's eyes widened at the vehemence of Seto's statement.
The pirate's cobalt eyes darkened to a midnight navy, and he was breathing as though he had run a great distance.
Atemu tried to think of a response, but his mouth simply opened and closed like a fish out of water.
"Promise me, Atemu. Promise me that when this is over, you and Yugi will come out alive."
Atemu was stunned…Seto had called him by his first name. Not kid, or cabin boy, or Santiago…but Atemu. The syllables rolled off of the pirate's tongue smooth and rich as molasses.
After a moment, Atemu recalled the initial request.
"I can't promise that I won't die, Seto. The first thing a warrior must accept is that they can very well meet their end any moment, and only after that can they reach their full potential. But I can promise I'll sure try my damnedest to survive."
Seto didn't know why, but Atemu's answer calmed him a little. He'd have to wait and see if Atemu kept his promise when the time comes to put it to the test.
He reached out and brushed a lock of crimson-tipped ebony out of Atemu's face before he slid closer and leaned in to give Atemu a short yet passion-filled kiss.
Seto tried to push Atemu down on the bed, but the boy pushed Seto away, rolled off the bed, and strode to the door, "I wasn't joking, captain. You want sex? Acquaintance yourself with your hand."