A Yugi/Yami story

Through a Dragon's Eye

Chapter 6-The Adventure Begins

Morning came all too soon for the boys as they awoke with the sunlight blaring onto their faces. They were both still tired from talking about their plans of what they would do once they find the Swiftflight, and a part of them were still a little reluctant of leaving the spring. But another part of them couldn't wait to leave and get to work finding adventures along the way. Today was the day that they would leave and start their next adventure. They were just finishing up packing their supplies.

Both boys were taking as much as they could carry; they had enough food to last a week at least… maybe ten days.

"Ready, Yugi?" asked Yami has he pulled a bag around his shoulders. Yugi just finished packing his own bag when Yami asked and called out, "Yeah, give me another second."

After Yugi had finished he joined Yami on the trail, they turned to get one last look at the spring. Yami couldn't help but feel safe here… like nothing could hurt them as long as they were there. But Yami knew that they couldn't stay forever… so after another long look; he turned to leave. But he noticed that Yugi was kneeling before a tree, carving something into the trunk.

"What are you doing, Yugi?" he asked in a surprised voice.

Yugi looked up sheepishly and said, in an embarrassed tone, "It's just that… I thought that... if we ever needed to come back someday. If we needed a safe place to stay… we could have this here, to remember," he ended like lamely.

Yami looked pass him to see the tree, Yugi was trying to carve something into the tree. Yami then picked up a sharp rock and carved the image of a ship onto the lower part of the trunk. "There," said Yami. "So the next time we come here, we'll remember the good times." He smiled at Yugi, who smiled back and together they left the spring, where the two of them had become friends… no, not just friends…

… they became a family.

(1 year later)

It's been one year since Yugi and Yami left the spring and a lot has happened since then. Thanks to each other, they both grew greatly along the way, and the bond between them has grown even stronger. The two 8 year old boys were still traveling together, and I got to say that they did they have some crazy adventures. But the point is that even after all that… they still haven't found the ship.

They did want to find that ship, but they also wanted to have some real adventures, which took up a lot of their time. They explored caves, forests, fields, unmarked trails, new villages, and everything else you could imagine. They were constantly traveling from place to place, never staying for more than a few days, they continued to head up north.

(And let me say that in the medieval times, it takes a long time to get anywhere)

The bond between them had gotten so strong, you could have sworn everything that you owned that they two of them were brothers. No, they were closer than brothers…

What they were I don't know. But after a year of traveling around together, they were willing to jump into hell for each other if they had to. The two of them had just arrived at a village somewhere in the north, and the weather had gotten a lot colder. They stopped in the market and bought themselves some new clothes and more food.

What's that? Where did they get the money? Well it turns out that even in the medieval times there were people that gambled with games. You know… those games they play in the streets to earn money? Turns out that both boys had a gift for winning those games and earning enough money for themselves, so money really wasn't an issue for them anymore.

Yugi finished buying some new shoes for himself when Yami came up from winning yet another game. "How did you do?" asked Yugi smiling when he saw Yami running up to him.

Yami held up a pouch of money and answered, "We've got dinner tonight." They both started to laugh as they wandered around the marketplace; they had money and were eating a lot more than they ever hoped to. They used to be so thin that you could see every rib in their bodies, and their stomachs felt like they were eating themselves.

After shopping they headed to a small inn for the night. But when they asked the innkeeper for a room she asked them, "Just the two of ye? Don't tell me ye all alone here."

They have gotten this before. Up north people get suspicious if they see a couple of kids on their own. Some even try to kidnap them for some cheap labor… or worse. Yami looked at her politely and said, "No, me and my twin brother here are waiting for our parents to arrive. We came up north with them to start trading before the snow arrives and they told us to go ahead and stay at this inn till tomorrow." They used this excuse a lot lately. Neither of them liked lying but it was safer for them this way.

The innkeeper looked at Yami to Yugi, and then back again. "Your twin brother? Fancy that," she said. "Hmm. But still, the pieces fit. I'll give you that much. And he does look like you." Yugi always felt a small bit of pride when people thought that him and Yami were brothers.

The lady thought it all over for a sec before leading them to a small room near the back of the inn. "Here you boys go," she said kindly. "You boys are welcome to stay the night. The bathrooms were located on the bottom floor near the back of the hovel and if you need anything then let me know."

They nodded, thanked her, and entered the room. It was a very small room; the floor was dirt and covered by a layer of reeds which provided some cushioning for their sore and tired feet. The ceiling had long beans and crossbeams made of a strong and light-colored wood. The wall spaces between the beans and crossbeams you could just see a thatch roof which had a warm musty smell to it.

In the middle of the room was were the hearth, and a low stone platform that held the cooking and heating fire, was. There was a smoke hole that was surrounded by stones, to make it less likely that sparks would set the roof on fire. There was only one window, which had wooden shutters, but it did have glass. There was also a wash basin on a low, wooden table in the corner and a bed against the wall; just opposite the window.

It was a small bed, with a mattress stuffed of hay, but it had the some of the softest blankets they ever saw. Yugi sighed as he flopped down on the bed and stretched out. "She was nice wasn't she?" he said to Yami. "And she bought the story quicker than most do."

Yami put his bag down and looked out the window at the village. It reminded him of the village he used to live in almost. Except it was a little bit more crowded then where he was from. But it was a peaceful village, a place that seemed like a fine place to live in to be honest. But they were just going to be passing through as they always were.

He then went over and flopped down on the bed right beside Yugi and closed his eyes. They've been traveling all day and were so tired they could hardly keep their eyes open. Yugi was so tried in fact that he fell asleep pretty fast. But Yami got up to rummage through their bags and started to get their dinner ready.

He wanted Yugi to get some sleep for a change. He always tried so hard to keep up with Yami, and do whatever he could to help out. It was hard, traveling around from place to place… after a year of… a year? Has it only been that long?

It was hard to believe that it had already been a year since they started out on their journey, and it was an experience that Yami wouldn't have traded for anything. But all this traveling was starting to take a toll on both of them.

However deep down in Yami's heart he could feel that they were getting close to the where the ship was legend to be. All they had to do was to go a little farther north and then they would be at the coast. Where they knew where Swiftflight was waiting for them. They would find it together, or not at all; after all they were the ivy and the wall.

It was a saying that they heard a couple of weeks after they left the spring. They were wandering around a small village when they heard an old couple talking to themselves.

(Flashback)

Yami and Yugi were walking through a village, it was still early and they had a lot of daylight left so they were planning on going on and stopping at the next village. As they were leaving the village, an old couple came walking along the road they were on. They both looked ancient with worn out clothes, and hoods over their heads. But they way they were talking to each other you never would have thought that they were old. As Yugi and Yami were passing they heard what they were saying to each other.

"So how come I'm the ivy?" asked the old woman. "Why are you the stone?"

"Oh, come on. You're a stubborn woman, just like the ivy is and I'm the stone because I'm never changing. But you always loved change," replied the old man.

The old woman thought that one over for a second before answering, "I hate to admit it but you're right. I really hate that."

As the couple walked right by the boys, Yami and Yugi turned to watch them continue walking. They didn't have a clue what they were talking about and listened to what they were saying.

"We'll stand together," said the old man as he put his arm around the woman's shoulders. "True friends, like ivy and the wall stand together and both together fall."

The old woman laughed as she put her arm around his shoulders and said, "Friendship is a treasured gift, and every time I talk with you I feel as if I'm getting richer and richer. I think about how lucky I am to know someone who was so hard to say goodbye to."

The old man started to cackle at that statement and answered back in a sing-song voice, "Real Friendship is the sharing of all that the heart holds inside, its tears and laughter, it's joy and broken dreams. Because friendship dwells in the heart where time and distance know boundaries, it understands the depth of true feelings and the sound of words unspoken. It is a true gift, for it connects the heart of friends together forever."

The old woman couldn't take it. She also started to cackle as they kicked up the road.

They both cackled as they continued down the road. The boys watched them, getting worried over the way they kept cackling as if they were witches. They continued to watch them until they couldn't hear a word they were saying anymore. However the last thing that they heard was the old man saying, "If you ask me my friend, there are three types of friends: those like food, without which you can't live; those like medicine, which you need occasionally; and those like an illness, which you never want.."

Both boys looked at each other in a worried way before Yugi said, "That was weird."

Yami smiled and they both continued on their journey and neither of them said anything for a while until Yugi said out-loud, more to himself than Yami, "True friends, like ivy and the wall stand together and both together fall?"

Yami looked at him in surprise. "I guess," he said. "If ivy grows on a wall, and the wall is knocked down they go down together. I guess that's what friends are for. If one goes down, then the other will be there right by it to lie down beside it."

"I guess," said Yugi. "If that's true then are you the wall?" Yami had to be the wall thought Yugi. Cause he had to be the strongest person Yugi ever met. He always stood his ground, but Yugi did have a habit of clinging to someone else like a vine would.

Yami smiled. "Alright," he said. "But then you have to be the ivy." Yugi was gentle, Yami thought to himself. But Yami also knew that he had the potential to go to the top. A vine is a stubborn thing, and once it's made up its mind, it's very difficult to remove it… just like Yugi.

"I can live with that. But tell me something, do you really think that what those two were saying is true?" asked Yugi his own smile fading. When Yami looked confused to what Yugi was talking about, Yugi went on, "I mean that real friendship is the sharing of all that the heart holds inside, its tears and laughter, it's joy and broken dreams. Because friendship dwells in the heart where time and distance know boundaries, it understands the depth of true feelings and the sound of words unspoken. It is a true gift, for it connects the heart of friends together forever."

"You remembered all that?" asked Yami amazed. "You have a good memory." He was trying to make Yugi smile again but when that didn't work he thought about what he said. For a little while he didn't say anything while they walked on. Finally after the village they were leaving from was far behind them Yami found an answer. "I don't know," he said simply. "But, I think that they were right about there being three types of friends. Those like food, without which you can't live; those like medicine, which you need occasionally; and those like an illness, which you never want. So I think that for now that's good enough for me."

Yugi nodded and then asked, "So if I'm like food… what kind am I?" Both boys laughed like that while they continued on their way… to where they didn't know.

(End of Flashback)

Yami turned to look at Yugi, who was still fast asleep. Like always he looked so peaceful while he was dreaming. He didn't know why he suddenly thought of the old couple and that conversation… it just came into his mind..

He thought of everything that the two of them had been through this last year, and how much they've both grown already. He watched Yugi sleep on for a while, and while he did he thought about that odd, couple again. "Friendship is a treasured gift, and every time I talk with you I feel as if I'm getting richer and richer. I think about how lucky I am to know someone who was so hard to say goodbye to."

Yami was so deep in thought; that he didn't realize just how much time had passed while he watched over Yugi. But the sleeping form was beginning to stir. Yami leapt up and went back to preparing dinner for them.

Yugi open his eyes and sat up. His dreams were pleasant. He looked around the small room and spotted Yami, "Oh," he said leaping out of bed. "Did I fall asleep?"

The spirit looked down at the boy. He smiled to himself. Yugi was always sweet when he first woke up. "Yes, Yugi. You must have been so tired. It's ok," he said. "Besides it was my turn to cook dinner tonight." Yugi got up and went over to the small water basin in the corner to wash his face and asked, "Have I been asleep long?"

"Don't know," said Yami truthfully. He honestly didn't know because he was so lost in thought. He was wondering about that saying over and over again.. "But did you have a good sleep?"

Yugi nodded. "Ya, I did." He tilted his head to the side, "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Yami chuckled at that. He smiled at his closest friend. The thoughts that he had came up, and it was then that he finally understood what they meant.

To him, his friendship with Yugi was more valuable than any treasure. To him it was treasured gift, and every time that he spoke with Yugi it felt as though he was the richest person alive. Richer than any king. This one boy had change him so much, he only wish that he could return the favor back to Yugi.

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Yami had been watching over him this whole time. Yugi thought to himself. He had no idea what he would have done if Yami wasn't here and the thought of him alone in the world again, scared him more than anything. He dreamt of that saying once again. And he knew that now that if you have two friends in your lifetime, then you're lucky. But if you have one good friend, like he had with Yami, then you're more than lucky.

He really was lucky to know someone who was so hard to say goodbye to.