AN: I cannot stress to you people how important the italics are. They are little windows into the past before Yuugi was imprisioned and link directly to the current happenings, if you look closely they will slowly explain almost everyhting that happened before and shed light on the future. So, yeah, read them!

This will be riddled with typos and won't, I feel, be as good as my last chapter. Because the last part has been rushed and I want it up here before I'm too busy to remember it.

Firefly In Ice

Chapter Seven

"… So."

"So."

"So… aren't you gonna say anything?"

"Like what?"

"Like what's going on with you?"

"What are you talking about, Ryou? There's nothing 'going on' with me."

"Yuugi."

"What? Don't give me that look!"

"Then tell me!"

"Tell you what?!"

"Why you're being so distant!"

"I'm fine Ryou. Just leave me alone."

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Yuugi regained partial consciousness as the final corpse was thrown off the side of the cliff. The dull thwacks and sickening thuds as the body tumbled downwards brought something resembling sanity back to his fogged mind.

But this time he was nothing more then a small voice of reason buried under centuries of torment and hate. He had to fight with himself as his body moved instinctually towards the battle, wanting to find others to use to relieve the stress and the hurt and the misunderstanding of what the Shadows had done to him, his claws itched to be used, his tail twisted restlessly. But it wasn't right. He couldn't take what had happened to him out on those who had nothing to do with it, he couldn't use the weak as scratching posts to sharpen his claws, his wit and desires for revenge, ready for the Shadows.

A part of him said that was what the weak were for.

But the other part just wanted out.

And it was that part that, at last, managed to break through the crazed fog to bring himself back under control.

Yuugi took long steadying breaths, feeling that uncontrollable anger ebbing away to nothing. Whatever it was that kept causing him to loose it like this he had to find a way to keep it under control. It had saved his life many times now but he couldn't live a life at the mercy of his instincts.

Straightening Yuugi stepped away from the dark bloodstains left on the rock and moved over to the cliff edge, deciding he definitely needed to get out of here as fast as was demonly possible. Kneeling down to look at his options he realised that the only real way down was blocked by elves and goblins. He would have to fly then. Or at least make his first attempt.

Yuugi spread his wings, once again taken aback by how huge they were, each one at least twice the size of his body. How the hell was he going to coordinate these things enough to fly? He glanced back down at the sheer rock face, no there was still no way down by climbing short of digging his claws right into the rock and skidding down like that, and he wanted skin left on his hands by the time he reached the bottom. He glanced back at the top of the valley, on the other side there was a safe way down on foot but then he'd get caught by the still fighting elves and goblins, he huffed in defeat. Looked like it was flying then. Holding his wings out parallel to each other he flapped one then the other, and was impressed by the amount of power they had. Beginning to flap them together the amount of air that was caught by the membranes and pushed under managed to lift the front half of his body off the ground, his arms held in the air. Yuugi grinned and flopped back down; maybe he could do this after all. And if not he could always just glide down, gliding sounded pretty self-explanatory.

He turned and walked a few feet away from the edge, facing the drop off again he hunkered down, digging his claws into the hard snow and pressing his wings flat on his back to make it easier to run. He fixed his eyes on a point far on the horizon and shot forwards, running as fast as he could towards the edge to give him no time to second think it and to give himself the best lift-off he could. He bent his body almost in half so both his hands and feet gripped the edge of the rock at once, coiling the muscles in his back legs and flaring his wings out he pushed off from the ground with a powerful leap and flap.

He was airborne.

It was the most exhilarating feeling he had experienced to date (or at least of what he could remember). The world spread out below him, vast and alive, the cold wind rushed alongside him as if encouraging him. The way his wings tilted into the wind to gain altitude, the weight on his wing joints that constantly tried to make him succumb to gravity, the instinctual movement of his tail as it acted like a rudder and a balancer, it was all real and perfect in a way that made him feel more alive then ever.

He was right. Flying was something he enjoyed.

As he passed over the valley he had feared of falling into the sounds of the fighting elves and goblins drifted further and further away, no more then a distant and faint reminder of where he had come from. Now flying over the nearest mountain peak, lower then the one of the Grey Mountain, he felt a sudden influx of curiosity about the elves he had left behind. Swerving in midair and flapping his wings now angled downwards he found himself slowing to a stop. Hovering where he was he glanced back at the very clear battle taking place. He felt a sudden influx of guilt. Those elves had saved him from imprisonment, brought him out in the open air with great risk to themselves. They hadn't, he knew, set out to save him, they hadn't even known he was there, but still… he owed them a dept.

He disliked owing people debts.

But it wasn't like he could do anything about that right now. He couldn't be seen like this, he wouldn't risk being dragged back underground. Era already knew what he was and he needed to escape this inhospitable place of snow and ice. He needed to travel south, where he felt the wind currents coming from, warmer and promising the hotter environment he craved.

He needed to go. They would be fine. They had to be.

But just as he was about to turn away his sharp eyes caught sight of something that cemented his fate. Out of the tunnel entrance a fresh and seemingly endless stream of goblins were pouring into the open. Moving towards the tiring elfin soldiers.

Without help they most certainly wouldn't be fine now.

Swearing angrily, Yuugi angled his wings and began to fly back where he had come from. Landing with dificulty (it was a lot harder than taking off) next to the streaks of black blood where he had pushed the dead goblins over the cliff before. He ran up a steep incline and reached the narrow valley where the fight was taking place. He had done a full circle and was now stood on the opposite side of the battle from before.

He searched the fighters for the prince, and nearly, inexplicably, panicked when he didn't find him straight away. It was understandable to care about his life, Yuugi told himself, after all the prince had personally freed him. The prince was fighting beside that blond Malik, whose light lilac eyes had taken on a slightly insane gleam at the bloodshed, and a female he didn't recognise. Era was somewhere in the mess, he had caught a glimpse of her as he looked for the prince.

Yuugi watched them for a moment; it was amazing how they could fight like that. How could someone be graceful while dismembering your opponent? He looked at the prince and wondered just how long it would have taken, just how much training and dedication it took to be able to wield a sword like that. With an ease and assurance so clear it looked as if the blade was a permanent extension of the arm.

He was brought back to reality when a thick, short black arrow embedded itself in the rock just below his hiding place.

Yuugi ducked back, crouching low and wondering just how he was supposed to help. Charging straight in there would be nothing short of suicidal.

If only there was a way to distract the goblins long enough for the elves to escape.

He shifted his foot into a more comfortable position. Something dry and rough cracked under the movement.

Yuugi looked down, surprised. He hadn't noticed it before but this entire lower part of the mountainside was covered in brown, ancient plants.

He looked intently at the dry heather below him, it was dead and cracked under his feet and had been sheltered from the wet snow by the other mountains. It would burn beautifully. And what a distraction that would create! He had so far only managed to manipulate pre-existing fire but he had seen the elfin prince create ice out of thin air, could he do the same with fire?

Crouching down he took a clump of the vegetation into his hand. It was brittle and broke under the smallest force. The prince hadn't spoken any incantations to summon ice but he had looked like he had entered deep concentration. But what did he concentrate on?

'Fire,' he thought, imagining that perhaps whatever magic it was he could use was listening, 'I need fire.'

But after a moment of waiting and nothing happening he growled and clenching his fist he ground the tinder into dust in frustration. Hatred and anger bubbling in his stomach as he realised this was all the fault of those damned Shadows. Everything was their fault, his predicament, his weakness, his lack of memory. Did they enjoy torturing him? Was he nothing but a worn out toy for their amusement? Where they watching him even now? Laughing at his failures as they plotted to return him to their hell?

The goblin army grew and grew as more spilled out of the underground tunnels, the elves, injured and exhausted, were surrounded. And even though he had decided to actually help them there was nothing he could do but watch as the goblins drew closer, blades and eyes flashing in anticipation of the slaughter.

He let out a shout of frustration, unheard over the clashing of swords and battle cries, and threw the broken bits of bracken and dust back at the cliff beside him.

It hit the rock and scattered in a flower like explosion of hot embers.

Yuugi stared at the scattering ash with wide eyes. So he could do it! He looked down at his hand as the small flames flickered and died away from his skin. His eyes narrowed as he thought, it came down to emotion yet again. Being overcome by hunger and desperation caused him to loose awareness and kill. Feeling guilt had given him a human form and experiencing anger and wrath had taken it back. And now the heat of rage had given him fire. His own source of fire that bubbled up from his stomach and burst from his skin.

He looked down at the bracken again, the cliffs were fairly covered by it, and the battle was downwind from here, the air currents would encourage the flames to spread where he wanted them to. He clenched his fist again, trying to recreate the anger towards his unfair fate from before, it didn't take long and before he realised what he was doing he was concentrating, channelling the inner fire into his fist and watching the flames that burst forth. They were an odd, unnatural shade, more golden then the other natural fire he had seen and the flames danced with a life that seemed all of their own.

Yuugi lowered the flames to the bracken and watched with glee as the dry twigs caught, now alight and burning and spreading at an alarming rate. He didn't for a moment fear for himself, the burning heat that surrounded him didn't hurt in the slightest, in fact it felt wonderful and comforting, familiar.

It wasn't long before the entire mountainside was alight with bright gold fire, the flames jumped and licked at the air like living creatures, racing towards the battle with delighted hissing cries. The goblins screeched and chattered in terror, fleeing the heat and light and retreating back underground. Yuugi watched as the elves ran for their own lives, dodging in and out of burning ground with an agility and grace that mesmerised him. He didn't fear for their lives as he walked through the flames as if they were nothing more then air, following the group slowly, they were far too smart and swift to get caught.

The smoke was thick and heavy, a sooty black that blocked out the sky but Yuugi found beauty in the way it swirled and plumed above him, little embers lighting the black smoke as if they were yellow stars and the soot was the night sky. He reached the edge of where the flames stopped, unable to carry on any further due to the lack of vegetation. And saw the elves gazing back at the inferno from the safety of a few meters back.

Yuugi's heart jolted and he panicked, jumping back and behind a rock hoping against hope they hadn't seen him. It would be best for them to assume he had either vanished back underground with the goblins or perished in the fire. He needed to get out of here anyway, the fire wouldn't last forever with such thin and easily burned tinder, and already the flames were lessening. It was more smoke then fire now.

He moved under the cover of the dark smoke, slinking back down on all fours to make himself less conspicuous. He was covered in the smog by now; the tiny little black particles had clung to the natural moisture of his skin and was making him a little uncomfortable. But at least it might help him to remain unseen at night.

Running through the burning ground he came to where he had started, where the fire had already died and the bracken was black and brittle underfoot. The entire area stank of burnt things. Yuugi looked back, he didn't see anyone, and before him there was just the cliff he had jumped from before. Smiling, thinking he had escaped, he dashed forward.

"My Prince! Wait!"

Yuugi tripped, shock making him fumble over his own feet, landing in an awkward pile he swung his gaze back behind him. But there was no one there, so then who had shouted loud enough to be heard over the fire? His sensitive hearing picked up a sound to his right; foot falls, they were using the narrow ridge he had used earlier to avoid the fire. Panicking he scrambled back to his feet and dove behind a large rock to the left, grazing his arm on the rough surface as he did so.

Clutching his elbow and trying not to hiss in pain Yuugi leant his back against the rock, listening carefully as the footsteps reached where he had been stood and stopped. Three of them judging by the sound.

"Your highness please, while we still – "

"Someone was here."

Yuugi froze, fear pounding in his heart. That was the prince.

"The fire must have started somehow. They weren't natural flames." Said a voice Yuugi thought belonged to Malik.

"Natural or not we must move out. Get back to the city before the goblins realise the fire has died and come to finish us off!" The first voice, someone Yuugi didn't recognise, spoke.

"Someone is still here." The prince again. Yuugi's claws dug into the rock he didn't know what would happen if they found him. Would he have to attack? Or would they just let him go in thanks for saving them? He doubted the latter. But he didn't want to have to hurt them after the lengths he had just gone to so they were safe. Why couldn't they just say thank you to whatever almighty power rescued them and go? Where all elves this infuriating?

"This trail…" Malik's voice again, "I've never felt anything like it." It sounded more like he was talking to himself then to the others but even his voice couldn't block out the sound of someone's footsteps drawing closer and closer to his hiding place. And somehow Yuugi understood that they already knew he was here.

He crouched down ready to spring. He didn't know whether it would he better to dash out now and hope he could reach the cliff edge before they could stop him or wait until they saw him and feign an attack to force his way past them.

If he could just find a way to distract them then neither idea would be necessary.

In desperation he tried to re-invoke the same fire he had used before. It had clung to the skin of his hand, perhaps he could force it cling to his entire body and obscure him as he escaped. He closed his eyes to concentrate as he managed to find that heat inside him again.

It was only when he heard overly loud gasps and exclamations of surprise that he opened his eyes to look down at his body. And miraculously he saw that it had worked. His entire form was shrouded behind bright gold flames. The footsteps, which had momentarily stalled, quickened to a run and Yuugi knew that his chance was now.

He gathered all his strength and shot out from behind his cover. Running on all fours with his wings pressed tightly against his back he was certain he would look like nothing more then an oddly shaped ball of fire. Wherever his skin made contact with the ground patches of molten flames continued to burn. Almost immediately Yuugi saw the elfin prince, his hand still outstretched to touch the rock of his hiding place, his red eyes wide with shock. Yuugi only caught a glimpse of him and the two elves behind him before they were knocked aside by the force of the heat radiating from him.

He was close to the cliff edge again before he heard a loud shout, a word he couldn't identify with the wind and fire and pounding adrenaline rushing past his ears, and a long shard of blue ice, a spear, imbedded into the rock just a hairs width from his hand. But even as he rushed passed it the heat of his body melted it into water. He heard another shout, and a second spear almost severed the end of his tail as it whipped to the side.

Shit, these elves were really aiming to kill him. Perhaps he had been mistaken about the prince? Maybe he was a lesser person then Yuugi had given him credit for.

He had reached the end and flaring his wings out took to the air, for a moment he thought he felt freezing cold fingers ghost across his tail, as if trying to grab him. But they missed and he was already away. He wondered, as he flew, why the elves were no longer trying to stop him. Surely they could still throw their spears when he was in the air? And he was an easy target with the fire surrounding him making him a shining beacon in the night sky. Speaking of which he would have to let the fire go soon, he could feel it draining his strength. He wouldn't get far if he flew like this all the time.

Curiously he turned his head to look back even as he flapped to go faster, he was already too far away for them to hit him now but before… why hadn't they? Yuugi blinked at what he saw, the elfin prince was stood at the edge of the cliff, two small circles of fire, where Yuugi had stepped, just by his feet, he was staring intently up at Yuugi and the demon felt a chill go down his spine. He didn't like that look in the elf's eyes. It was far too knowing. Had he been the one to try and grab him? The prince was holding one hand in the other, as if cradling an injury, and Yuugi could have sworn their eyes met even over the distance.

He snapped his head back and tilted into the wind, desperate to get away.

Yuugi let the flames die down around him, he was so far away now that the only thing they would do would be to highlight him against the sky rather then hide him. He shivered at the chill that came to him and glanced over the horizon, over the mountain range before him he could see the sky lightening.

Dawn?

Well good, perhaps now he could get some heat back into his cold body.

Placing the image of those red eyes in a far dark corner of his mind, Yuugi readjusted his direction to head south and tried to let the joy of freedom through flight distract him from the niggling feeling that he was leaving something important behind.

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Yuugi didn't know how long he flew. Following the warmer air currents that flowed from the south. As the sun rose it had given him the most spectacular view, sparkling snow and vast expanses of land below him

He felt free. Truly free. It was a feeling he was fast becoming addicted to.

But although the sun felt glorious on his back, the heat it bathed him in giving him strength, by the time the sun was halfway between its highest point and the horizon, some time after noon, Yuugi was exhausted. His wings were beginning to feel like lead and his eyes stung. It felt like a long time since he had last slept properly, the beautiful sight of the world below him, the forests and mountains and vast empty tundra, had become just background to him now he had spent nearly all day flying south.

At one point Yuugi was sure he had fallen asleep in the air while his wings continued to keep him moving. Because when he next opened his eyes he was met by a great expanse of thick white fog.

Confused by the natural phenomenon he dipped lower in the sky until he was gliding just above the treetops, the fog was getting so thick that if he hadn't dropped altitude he would have lost his way. The air had become still since the wind had died down and he feared loosing his way. When the trees below him suddenly ended Yuugi looked down to see a narrow pebble beach that stretched out to seeming infinity on either side of him, the pebbles sunk into what looked like deep water, foam lapping at the shore gently in a soothing rhythm.

Angling his flight further down Yuugi landed, albeit clumsily, on the pebbles, they were smoothed by the water and varying shades of grey and white.

He tried to stand up straight but collapsed immediately back on all fours, the muscles that coordinated his wings had become so stiff that it was too hard to stand up while holding his wings off the ground.

Cursing to himself Yuugi glanced around, the trees had stopped just before the pebble beach began and formed a kind of natural barrier between the land and the water. He noticed the air tasted unusually salty and wet. Staring out at the expanse of water Yuugi realised that he was standing before the ocean. The air currents had been directing him this way so that meant he would have to cross over a sea with no idea how large it was. He couldn't see anything any further then a few meters away through this dense fog.

And his stomach was rumbling, reminding him how much energy he had burnt getting here.

Yuugi sighed, this just kept getting better. At least he was free though; that was a pleasant thought that lifted his spirits.

Mentally mapping his position he made his way back into the forest, knowing his best chance of a meal lay in there. He didn't have a clue how to fish after all. There was still snow on the ground, not thick or heavy but a fine coating that proved to Yuugi that he was going in the right direction for warmer weather.

He searched the forest tiredly, until he caught sight of small hoof prints in the snow, smiling in pleasure of finally finding prey he set off after the prints, smelling the air and catching the sweet scent of sweat on the almost non-existent breeze. He followed it until he heard a slight crunch in the thicket before him, whatever had made these hoof prints was in there. Crouching close to the ground Yuugi slunk around the thicket until he was sure he was downwind of the creature, then silently pushed his way through the bushes. His stomach rumbled in anticipation.

But he was forced to stop himself from barrelling forwards at what he saw. In the thicket stood a deer, small and spry with bright, bright eyes. That in itself wouldn't have been enough to stop him, but the fact that by her side stood a tiny spotted fawn, shivering in the first few hours after birth as its mother helped it to stand for the first time, made him incapable of carrying out his plan.

Yuugi watched the young doe and her fawn for a long moment. They would be perfect prey, alone and relatively weak, packed with all the nutrition he would need with some to spare. But he couldn't do it. They were too easy. It wouldn't be fair. Especially if one of them escaped without the other, separating a mother and child was a monstrous thing to do. And ending a life so new and fresh… he remembered how he had felt when he escaped from the Shadow's hell, how real and alive everything had become when looking down at the world from the sky as he flew, and tried to imagine denying the fawn the same chance to experience life.

Yuugi turned away from the two and moved at a steady swift pace down the path he had come. He couldn't do it. And that small fact threw his mind into turmoil. Who was he supposed to be after all? Knowing he was a demon was one thing, understanding what being a demon meant was another. The elves and goblins had given the overwhelming impression that demons were terrible and unreasonable monsters. Yuugi knew that he wasn't a monster, but was he supposed to be? Was he supposed to be without compassion even in its simplest form?

He stopped dead in the middle of a clearing, the late afternoon sun filtering weakly through the fog, the thin snow glittering like it was sprinkled with diamonds, small plants pushing up from under all the white and erupting in tiny colourful spring flowers. A terrible thought had just occurred to him.

What if… what if that was the reason? What if he had been different? So different that others of his kind deemed him too dangerous or just an unnatural freak of the species and, thus, tried to get rid of him? What if that was why he had been in hell? Sent to barely survive in eternal nothingness for eternity.

The revelation made him tremble in the encroaching darkness of evening, under the suppressing weight of the fog above. And utterly alone in his torment.

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Yuugi woke early the next morning, having slept poorly on the snow covered ground and plagued with nightmares that he couldn't remember. The evening before had been both awful and interesting. The horrid thoughts of possible reasons as to why he was tortured had refused to leave him, even as he tried to hunt for something else, he was so distracted that finding live food had been too much and so instead Yuugi had stumbled across a glade in the forest, quite by accident, in which grew the largest and richest berries Yuugi had ever seen or tasted. Bright purple fruits about two inches in diameter, held in leaf-like pods, and brimming with nutrition. That had been the only interesting part, discovering he could eat and survive off other things than meat.

There were still a number of them clutched in his hands for food during the next leg of his journey. Yuugi had soon discovered that only constant activity kept him from reliving his doubts.

The fog had cleared overnight, and as he glanced up from his arms the amount of blue that hit his eyes was colossal. Yuugi immediately wondered if he was still dreaming, but the cramps from spending all night curled up in ice made him think otherwise, in disbelief he struggled to his feet, gazing out at the water before him.

So this was the ocean. Had it always been this big? It looked like an expanse of deep sapphire that stretched far beyond infinity. It was calm, but he could see the waves curling and crashing into each other and the shore with white crests of foam and the timeless rhythm of the shifting tide.

But as beautiful as it was it made Yuugi feel uneasy. He couldn't explain why it caused him to shift and twine his fingers into the linen he wore as if to gain comfort from it. Perhaps it had something to do with his orientation to fire? He shook his head, dispersing those thoughts, it wasn't like he'd be given any answers anyway.

Unfurling his wings Yuugi leapt into the air, finding an updraft and using it to rise effortlessly into the sky, he attempted to see an end to the sea. But the opposite shore, if there was one, could not be seen.

He had never used an updraft before; it was ridiculously easy to fly using them. Perhaps that was why he had been so tired, not using the air correctly and pouring too much effort into flying himself. The wind had picked up again, the warm air was flowing from the south, enticing him with its promises.

And so, after taking one last glance at the snow covered land behind him, Yuugi angled forward and into the wind, catching another updraft to build altitude for his longest flight yet.

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Yuugi's only guides where the wind, the sun, and the stars. His only food the berries in his hands. And no chance for a rest. He had flown all day and through the night. An endless expanse of blue below and above gave the impression that he wasn't moving, and for all he knew the world could have stopped and he was hanging stationary in the air. That was how uneventful the journey was. Not a single landmark to guide the way. Only the wind and the sun and the stars. The berries had all been eaten.

He had nothing to do but look ahead, concentrating on the wind currents that helped him fly. Dark thoughts tormented him. Even darker memories haunted him. What hope was there left? Was there anything but emptiness ahead, mirrored only by the nothingness of behind?

Eventually his mind settled on the only true question he had left. What had happened during the time he was imprisoned? What had happened to his people? And pushing all other thoughts away Yuugi concentrated on that alone, forcing down the urge to turn around and return from where he had come for the simple comfort of someone who knew he existed.

It wasn't the first time the elfin prince's image had flashed across his mind.

As dawn reached him on his second day of flight Yuugi's half lidded eyes caught sight of a long shadow on the horizon, opening them fully he squinted into the sun and felt elation flood him. There was land ahead. He had made it!

It was late morning by the time Yuugi left the ocean behind him, the mass of blue opening out to gently rolling green hills. A vast expanse of open grassland interspersed only with the occasional formation of bare rock. It was wonderfully warm but his sheer exhaustion blocked out any thoughts of victory.

He was a few miles inland before he spotted what he wanted: food. A flightless bird, taller then him with long legs and neck, foraging below. Yuugi dove sharply, knowing he'd never have the strength to chase it, swooping in from behind he used the last of his energy to spin in midair and bring his tail crashing down on the back of its head.

It fell without even a squawk.

He landed painfully, every muscle in his body hurting and stiff from his marathon flight, and set to work roughly tearing off the feathers for the flesh underneath.

When he was full and sated he curled up on a soft patch of grass and almost immediately fell into a dead sleep. He would worry about everything else when he woke.

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And wake he did. To the sound of thunder.

Yuugi groaned, curling into a tighter ball with his tail tucked between his legs and pulling his wings over himself for protection. He was still far too tired to care about a stupid thunderstorm.

He frowned into the warm grass when the thunder began to shake the ground he was lying on. Begrudgingly he opened his eyes and peaked through a gap in his makeshift blanket to see what kind of thunder could possibly be making the ground rumble like this.

He was awake in an instant. Sitting up on his elbows as an impenetrable forest of hooves surrounded him. Confusion as to why horses would surround him in such a manner Yuugi looked up.

His eyes widened in shock.

They weren't horses.

At the point where the horse's body should have become its long neck and head, human torsos replaced them. Wild looking men and women whose waists melded into varying shades and types of horse's bodies.

Centaurs.

And as if his life couldn't currently be any worse, Yuugi was also faced with a second forest of weapon points. Every single one of them aiming an arrow or spear directly at him, some were barely inches from his face.

Yuugi heaved a dramatic sigh; talking for the first time in days he asked himself, "Why is it that no matter where I go, people point sharp objects in my direction?"

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"It's the Shadows isn't it?"

"Ah… ha, no of course not! You jump to too many conclusions Ryou!"

"Don't lie to me Yuugi."

"I'm not lying. I just… don't feel very well that's all. Honest."

"… Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"You're shivering."

"I'm just a little unwell, I told you."

"How long have you been staying with us now, Yuugi?"

"Errrm… nearly four months now I think."

"Well that's it then."

"I haven't overstayed my welcome have I?"

"No, no not that. Yuugi, you've been in the north too long. You need to get out of this cold."

"I'm inside aren't I?"

"No I mean you need to go back south. And soon. Before this cold actually does some permanent damage to you."

"You and Bakura are fine and you've lived here all you're lives!"

"Stop being childish, you know full well that cold doesn't affect us! We're ice demons, we live in ice!"

"But…"

"You are of fire. And you've been away from your home for far too long. Go back to your deserts, Yuugi.

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AN: To be honest I'm surprised this is actually up, what with everything that has happened this week. Last sunday I left home for the first time and started university. And although I'm still finding my footing and don't know what to expect for next week when it all really begins (freshers week can't be counted as actual uni lmao) I think I can describe my freshers week in one word. Awesome. That, along with my new found obsession with 'Death Note', will mean slower updates. Sorry, just wait until I've settled into this new life and I should be back on track. Everything is a bit daunting at the moment.