Bloodied Waters
Disclaimer: I didn't buy it since I posted the last chapter…
=*=
Pale moonlight shone upon the rooftops of the nearly identical houses. The green lush leaves that hung on the gnarly brown branches of the trees danced happily in the night's cool breeze. Most of the neighborhood's residences where curled up in their recliners, reading the latest hardback novel, sipping a glass of hot tea or cocoa on the unusual chilly night. Most of them, that is, except Yami.
The tri-haired teen was hard at work deciding whether to abandon the sleeping Yugi in order to get his backpack he had carelessly tossed aside, or grab it in the morning and finish all his homework in free period. He sighed and said to the blanket covered form, "I'll be right back. Don't you dare wake up…"
He shrugged on a jacket and disappeared out the door.
…
Yugi groaned, his head shifting from side to side, "No, you… can't."
The boy tossed and turned under the thick, warm blankets. Cold sweat made his pale skin shine in the silver light of the moon. His face was twisted in pure fear, the kind of expression that you only got when something truly frightened you to the core of your mind. Yugi rolled over once more on his back, calling out to an invisible force.
"No, no… NO!" Yugi screeched, shooting upwards in the bed. Gradually, he became aware of his surroundings and attempted to slow his breathing down to a regular speed. He placed his palm over where his heart was.
Instead of feeling his usual silky robe, his chest was bare. He fingered the patch of gauze right below it, that had blotchy spots of pale pink soaked into it. "That's right… the human captured me."
His mind slowly drifted back to the images of his dream. The cloaked figure popped out in them, always laughing, always coming toward him with the foreign dagger. He would always smile, a canine tooth protruding through his lip. And when that man delivered the final blow, there wasn't anyone to save him. 'Yami wasn't there to save me.'
Yugi stood up hesitantly, wrapping the blanket around him, eyes darting around the room for his so-called 'captor.' He shuffled over to the door and cautiously reached for the shining metal knob. Before he could turn it, the door flew wide open. Yugi yelped and fell backwards in surprise.
Yami towered over the small boy, triumphantly holding up his slightly damp, grass stained, blue backpack. The teen glanced down at Yugi. "You're awake… and on the floor."
Yugi cringed and shakily stood on his feet. He pulled the blanket around him tighter, feeling the draft wafting in from the open door. Ignoring Yami's remark, he spoke, "I demand that you inform me of what you've done to my wings."
The tri-haired teenager abruptly stopped shuffling through his bag. He craned his neck to look at Yugi, who seemed to have an angry expression harboring over his features. Turning, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still have no idea what you keep rambling on about! I'm really debating whether I should send you off to the hospital nearby. Who knows, though. By the looks of it, you're only twelve maybe? Your parents must be worried sick…" Yami trailed off.
By now, Yugi was seething. He clenched his fists around the blanket. "Twelve? I'll have you know that I just started on my sixth moon cycle. That's one-thousand-sixteen years."
"Just go sit down." Yami snapped, returning to his backpack. He hastily pulled out two binders before tossing them onto the wooden desk. The smack! resounded throughout the room. "I want you to explain this whole wings fiasco."
Yugi reluctantly obeyed, plopping down on the bed, muttering.
Yami quietly sat down by the boy a moment later, crossing his legs Indian style. "Let's try to make this as easy as possible. What do you remember before you woke up here?"
Warning bells suddenly rang off in Yugi's head. He had always been taught what creatures were armful to his species, and which were not. Humans were on the list of 'not to trust.' He crossed his arms under the blanket, imitating a child who deemed his punishment was unfair. "I cannot tell you. I don't even know you…" he mumbled, eyes boring into the human's across from him.
'He's right.' chimed Yami's conscious. 'Would you spill all your secrets to a mere stranger?'
"Yugi…" Yami sighed, mind searching for a proper rebuttal. "You really should tell me. I mean… don't you want to go back home? And get your… err… wings back?"
"So if I told you, Yami, you would send me back home?"
"Sure." he lied.
Yugi closed his eyes, trying to remember. "We were in the forest to my father's request, it was my sixth moon cycle. But before we could carry out our task, I felt a needle being shoved through my neck, but now that I think about it… it must have been a blow dart. When I woke up, someone had stabbed me with a very strange looking dagger. That person began performing a Shikigami spell on me… I felt my wings go completely numb… and slipped into unconsciousness. I later woke up here… wherever here is."
"Alright, this is good. We're making progress… I think." Yami bit his tongue to stop himself from lashing out and overloading the poor, confused boy on questions. "Yugi, if you haven't noticed, you look completely human yourself. Why are you avoiding me like I'm the plague? We're both human."
Yugi snorted, glaring at Yami's forehead, "I am not one of your monstrous kind… whoever captured me when I was in my world must have done this. He took away my wings and magic, apparently."
"We aren't monstrous! " Yami pressed, leaning forward slightly
"Yes, you are! Humans happily murder other humans, humans steal from each other. You leave your poor on the streets, cold, alone, and hungry! Humans destroy the beautiful forests that your planet has kindly given to you. There is no peace, only destruction here." Yugi hissed, "Everyone of my species is nothing of the sort!
"Murder is only done by those who are bad, and the same goes for stealing. I'm sure that they're working on a way to help the poor. Yes, we may destroy the forests, but most of the trees cut down are re-planted to make more trees. We need them for resources." Yami countered, "It was probably 'one of your kind' that stabbed you anyways."
"No."
"Then who?"
Yugi sighed, looking at the wooden floor. "An Akuma! I am certain of it. His voice… it… it…" Yugi shut his eyes, a whimper escaping his throat.
"What are you?" Yami whispered, his voice splitting the momentary science.
"… Malakh." Yugi tensed as the word flowed like a twisting melody from his mouth. It echoed through Yami's ears, the meaning was hollow to him. The 'Malakh' noticed and decided to continue, "I have heard that humans would call us… angles."
Yami smirked slightly at Yugi's misuse of words, "I think you mean angels."
"I will note that."
"But it still doesn't make any sense. Angels were at one time humans before they died, and are sometimes sent down to Earth by God." Yami nodded, recalling the past conversations he had heard while he was in the Untied States.
The angel raised his eyebrows in confusion. "None of that makes any sense. Humans randomly sprouting wings and sent back to Earth after their deaths? That is not what the Malakh are."
"Then explain to me to correct way." Yami replied icily. He crossed his arms indignantly, glaring at what he was starting to think a mentally unwell person in front of him.
Yugi turned away, staring at the dull brown of the wooden floors. The moonlight now was barely piercing through the clouds, making the two boys sitting in the near dark of the night. "I cannot. You wouldn't believe me anyway."
"Why?" Yami asked.
"Because!" Yugi shouted, standing up forcefully. The blankets slipped down to his waist showing his pale and injured chest. Moving around with such sharp moments made a dull sensation pull against his wound, but he didn't care at the moment. Why couldn't this human get it through his thick skull? "Don't you understand? I don't trust you, and I shouldn't have told you half of what I did! I've been well taught on what to do, and I just crossed a line. And you've already been threatening to send me to a… 'housepatil!' I just… I just want to go home." he murmured, "I just want to go home." He slowly sat down back down on the plush bed mattress.
Yami only stared in mild surprise at the conflicted supernatural. He silently pushed himself off the bed walking towards his closet doors. He yanked them open before quickly shuffling through the colorfully made hangars. Pulling out a grey t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants, he tossed them over to Yugi who was still staring out into space. When the clothes plopped onto his lap, he gave a tiny squeal before looking up at Yami expectantly.
"What are these?"
Yami rolled his crimson orbs making way for the door. "They're called clothes. I'm sorry if they are too humanized for you. It's all I have that you won't trip and fall flat on your face."
Yugi frowned, "Do I have to wear these?"
"Unless you want to go around this house naked, then yeah, you have to wear them." Yami's smile was laced with slight malice. "I'll be in the kitchen." He flicked the light switch and the bulbs were brought to life, illuminating the entire room. Yugi sighed as he heard the click of the wooden door, signaling that Yami had abandoned him to figure out how to put these clothes on.
=*=
The smell of ramen noodles wafted through the kitchen. This was Yami's specialty dish. He leaned over the stove, slowly stirring the noodles around in the pot. He was snapped out of his trance when he heard loud thumps coming from the stairs. He turned the burner's flame down and walked to where the stairs and the hall were connected. He broke out into a grin.
Down the stairs came Yugi with his hair more ruffled and spiky. His t-shirt was on backwards, the tag flutter in his face. Everything else checked out fine.
Yami snickered quietly, "The shirt is on backwards."
Yugi scowled, stomping down the last steps. "Then how do I turn this around?"
"Stick your arms in and twist the shirt around! Didn't they have those in… wherever these 'Malakh' come from?" Yami said casually, sprinting back over to the kitchen stove. He stirred the ramen once more before flicking the burner off.
The boy didn't not reply, but instead sauntered over to the pot of ramen. "This is…?"
"Ramen."
"Ramen is…?"
Yami grabbed two lime green glass bowls and two pairs of round-tipped chopsticks. He dumped a nice portion of noodles in each bowl, placing one of each in Yugi's hands. "Ramen is a type of food that I can actually cook. It tastes pretty good." He walked out of the kitchen and into the connecting living room.
"C'mon, Yugi!" Yami called to the kitchen. The angel blinked once and shuffled into the room. He carefully sat down by the human, careful not to spill the bowl's contents.
"What are these sticks for?"
Yami sighed and set his bowl down on the small coffee table that was in front of the couch. He jogged into the kitchen and pulled out a spoon. When he made it back to Yugi, he replace the chopsticks in his hand with the spoon.
"Oh! A metal spoon. Thank you." Yugi smiled, diving into the bowl of ramen.
In mere minutes, both boys had slurped up all the ramen in the bowl, and the leftovers in the pot. Yugi was delighted in the deliciousness of the human food, not even realizing he was laughing along with someone he had wanted to be cautious of.
After Yami had washed their dishes, Yugi being his spectator, he led the angel back into the living room. After many questions about the plain interior style of the room, he decided to let Yugi see the wonders of television.
By them time they had been two hours into watching T.V, Yami was nodding off. His head was lolled to the side away from Yugi. Right before he began delving into the world of dreams, he heard a soft and gentle voice speaking out to the empty air.
"The Malakh are the most sacred creatures of my world. We are of the highest order, so many want us slain into extinction. We are able to manifest the physic energy of the nature around us and turn it into magic. But that's all I will say, Yami." he sighed, his voice dropping a decimal, "But you are not so bad for a human."
Yami silently dozed off as the last or the truthful words were spoken.
=*=
The spiky haired teen groaned as bright rays of sun cascaded over his face. He closed his eyes, wiling the sunshine to disappear, but it didn't work. He groaned once more and picked himself up of the couch. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, be glanced at the VCR's digital clock, that sat right on top of the television.
"7:56 A.M." it flashed at him. An hour until school.
Yami sighed and stood up to stretch his stiff limbs. That's when he realized…
"… I forgot to do my homework." Yami laughed awkwardly, mentally slapping himself. He pounded upstairs and reached for his backpack. "Wait… where's Yugi?"
Homework forgotten, Yami looked around his room with no sign of the little boy. "Yugi?"
He checked the nearby, unused for years, guest room. "Yugi, where are you? This isn't funny." His eyes roamed over the room once more and he saw the open window, curtains fluttering softly in the morning's puny gusts. Yami's face was stricken as he inched towards the window. Horrible images flashed through his mind.
He thought he could fly and he jumped.
He escaped and is gonna be captured by the asylum keepers.
"Yugi!" he shouted at the window, frowning when there was no sight of the angel. Yami felt a pang in his chest as he turned his back on the window. He slowly walked down the steps, past the kitchen and through the living room, reaching the front door. He turned the knob and stood out on the porch.
Yami's features lit up in shock as he saw a familiar tri-haired figure. "Yugi! What in the seven hells are you doing out here? I was worried sick."
"Shh." Yugi whispered, closing his eyes in concentration. A minute later, he spoke again, "Can you feel it, Yami? Can you hear them?"
The teenager gave a puzzled look to Yugi's back. "I don't hear anything but bugs…"
"Something is pulsing. That way…" Yugi pointed a slender finger at the thicket of tall trees and overgrown vegetation. "I'm going." he threw over his shoulder, before pounding out towards the forest.
"Wait up!" Yami screamed, attempting to catch up with the quick as lightning Yugi.
=*=
Rushing water could be heard yards away. Yugi slowly approached the stone-centered pond. He studied the slab of rock near the back, intrigued by it's swirling, glowing red patterns. He heard the crunching of leaves and twigs from behind him. He whirled around, prepared to confront the attacker, when he saw red tips poking out from the branches. "Yami."
Yami growled, fighting the tree branches grasp. "Why did you run away like that?" he said, finally freeing himself from the thick branch. He stepped up beside Yugi, whom had an alarmed expression.
"What is it?"
"T-the water… it's turning blood red!" Yugi cried, pointing at the changing waters. Yami stared down in disbelief.
A scratchy voice filled the two's ears, "Hello, Yugi dearest." it rasped, stepping out from behind the giant slab of rock. "It's seems you've found a human friend…!"
The same cloaked figure stood there, arms tucked into his ragged sleeves. He threw his head back, letting out an insane screeching laugh. A strand of silver poked out from his hood. "This will not do! It's time to say goodbye." He removed a hand from the robes and snapped his fingers. The patterns on the slab began to glow red, as did the once-clear water.
Yugi felt his mind exploding, his vision flashing from purple and red, to finally black. He toppled forward into the tainted water. A moment later a second splash was heard, as Yami fell forward, face becoming engulfed in the strange water.
"It will all be over soon…" cooed the figure, walking over to the unconscious boys. He kneeled Yugi, slowly stroking the side of his head. "Very soon."
===*===
Ghosteh: Well, well. It only took a little over a week and I updated. I must say, I am proud of that! What did you think of this chapter? Too quirky and awkward, or a Picasso perfect, or mellow yellow-in the middle? Tell me in a review, but no flames please. Third degree burns are hard to heal. ;(
I feel that I made them even more OOC instead of less OOC. So, of course, it's not my best. I think I would have done better if I had had another day or so, but I didn't want to keep everyone waiting.
Oh, and the important thing! I don't think I'll be able to update until after the 15th of September. I'm in the middle of moving, so naturally I am pretty busy! … Remind me to transfer my Bloodied Water files to my laptop! xD But I promise I'll try to update ASAP.
Anyways, thank you for reading my story and the long author's note. I also hope you can tolerate the lack of update. So seeya the 15th and after… tune in next time for another chapter of 'Bloodied Waters'!