Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters from the anime. I own the plot and the Tide Whisperer.
A/N: I know this chapter is a bit on the short side, but I'll compensate by updating two more chapters in a bit. ^_^
Chapter Fourteen – Homecoming
Yugi huddled into a ball on the floor of the frigid dungeon, shivering violently beneath his thin cream tunic and matching trousers. Yugi hoped to God this wasn't the same treatment Louis had dealt to Yami during his stay at the castle.
Two thick, titanium shackles encircled his ankles, and portable stalks bound his wrists together. He was so hungry, not having eaten since the morning he had been taken from the market. Oh, Yugi was given food, but it had only been a small bowl of cabbage soup, some moldy bread, and a glass of water. Yugi had drunk the water, knowing that it would be enough to keep him healthy for as long as he was to stay here, but he hadn't touched the food for fear that either it was poisoned or that he might become sick.
He wanted to go home, to lay in front of the hearth in his father's cottage with a plate full of food and some crisp, clean water. To hear his father's rumbling baritone as he murmured to himself while he worked in the shop adjacent to their home. He wanted to wrap himself in Yami's quilt, which faintly smelled of his brother's unique scent of pine, freshly watered meadows, and a twinge of cinnamon and citrus. To curl up in his own bed and sleep for a week.
And yet, even though things seemed so hopeless for him now, he knew that someday soon Yami would come and set him free. He could feel it in his heart that Yami would somehow learn of what had happened and he'd come racing to his side.
So, for now, Yugi could handle a few more days in this frozen prison. He could stand to go a bit longer with only mediocre water to sustain him. He could even stand the slight tingling numbness collecting in his fingertips. Because he knew that soon, Yami would burst through that door and he would take Yugi home.
"All right men, listen up." Seto's voice boomed over the collected members of the White Dragons gathered up on the deck of the Tide Whisperer. "In less than one hour, we will be arriving in the Barcelonan harbor. I don't know how long it'll take for me to finish my business here, but it shouldn't take too long."
Business…? If Atemu hadn't known how much Seto wanted to get his hands on Louis and Phillip, he would be greatly offended by how nonchalant he described Yugi's situation as simply "business".
"There is no reason for any of you to come ashore. Santiago knows this city well, and we will try and keep this brief."
"What exactly is this business you're talking about?" Malik asked curiously.
"We are here to pick up a weapon that I had commissioned the last time I were here." Seto replied.
"But then why is Atemu going with you? It seems to be a fairly simple task." Mokuba wondered.
"Santiago had been a blacksmith before he joined our crew. He knows weapons, and I'm going to make sure that I'm going to get my money's worth."
There were murmurs of acceptance.
"Anyone else have any questions?" Seto asked with a hint of threat underlying his comment.
Not surprisingly, nobody had anything more to say.
After a moment, Seto nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Once we dock, and the boy and I disembark, no one else is to leave the ship. You are to keep watch out for any officials that might try and attack us. I can't give you an estimate on how long we'll be here, but if anyone spots a threat, you are to get the Tide Whisperer out of the harbor and away from danger, whether or not I am on board."
There was a loaded silence before one by one the pirates nodded in acknowledgment with Mokuba and a green-haired youth named Noa being the last to give a response.
"Excellent."
It was a little before dusk when the Tide Whisperer slid effortlessly through the Barcelonan harbor. Seto kept the ship anchored away from the docks in case the crew needed to make a quick escape. He then ordered the sails to be rolled and the flag to be lowered. Usually the White Dragons flew their banner proudly, but in this case, they didn't need the added threat of being recognized.
Seto and Atemu walked down to the captain's cabin and they decided to wait until nightfall before heading out. Atemu would rather they left immediately, but he also saw the logic in Seto's decision. In the meantime, Seto checked Atemu's wound to make sure it would hold for the time being, and made sure that they were both well armed.
Seto strapped two cutlasses to his body, one on his hip and the other slung across his back. Two pistols were holstered at his waist. He slid his dagger into his right boot and a bound a palm knife to his left wrist. Atemu settled for one cutlass and one pistol, both he fastened around his waist. He slid his signature dirk into his waistband between his belt and his trousers beneath his tunic, and he slipped a stiletto into his left boot for good measure.
"You remember your promise. Atemu? Don't go getting yourself killed or I swear, I will drag you back from the afterlife only so that I can kill you myself." Seto warned.
Atemu smirked, "I remember, don't worry about little ole me." His smirk faded before he regarded the pirate solemnly, "Now, I'm going to have you make me the same promise, Seto. Don't get yourself killed."
Seto tugged Atemu into his arms and planted a feverish kiss to Atemu's lips. They shared in the kiss for a moment before Seto pulled back and nodded, "I promise."
Atemu looked out the small manhole in the cabin to see that it was well after dark.
"It's time."