A Yugi/Yami story
Through a Dragon's Eye
Chapter 9-Capture
For hours the two talked as they walked along the winding road. Yami was keeping a close eye on Yugi, worried that he would get sick again. And Yugi was sticking close to Yami as though he was afraid of being left behind.
"Yami?" asked Yugi after walking awhile in silence. "What is your village like?"
Yami looked at the ground before answering sadly, "You know the village we were in before you got sick?" he asked. He looked up in time to see Yugi nodding. "Well, it's a lot like that one… only a lot colder because it's so much farther up north.
I used to live in a large house overlooking the whole village. When you looked out of it you could just barely see the bright blue ocean and you can smell the salty air." He stopped talking for a minute as though trying to remember its beauty and then he thought of something.
"Yugi… you've never seen the ocean have you?" he asked. Yugi gave him that sweet yet sad smile before answering, "Can't say that I have. But I would love to learn all I can about it." Yami smiled and they continued on their way. "We'll be there very soon."
The continued on their way for some time until they reached the foot of a large hill, as soon as Yami spotted it he stopped and put his hands over Yugi's eyes.
"What are you doing?" he cried out laughing. "Yami I can't see!"
"Keep walking as soon as we reach the top of the hill you'll be able to see the ocean. I wanna see the look on your face." He made Yugi walk forward while keeping his eyes covered the whole time. By the time they reached the top Yami turned Yugi towards the ocean and said, "Ok, you can look now."
Yugi opened his eyes and gasped.
It was as if Yugi came out of the darkness, or as though he came out of a deep sleep. He saw jets of sparks in fountains of blue come leaping out of the large sight of blue. And out of the invisible, streams of bright blue drops of rain from the showery heavens, and bright blue droplets surge from the under-dark to their ladder-tops.
And all the manifold blue Yugi could see a faint rainbow arching over in the skies, which sparked a whole new set of sparks of wonder opening in surprise. All these pure things coming from the foam and spray of the sea; the darkness abundant, which seemed to have just mysteriously vanished, broke into a dazzle of living, as dolphins that leap from the sea.
He had never seen such a beautiful sight in all his life. If felt kinda like a dream, he would never forget this sight for as long as he lived… never.
"What do you think?" asked Yami's voice.
Yugi turned to look at him as said simply, "Thank you for bringing me here."
They continued on their way making sure to pass as far from the village as they could go. They planned on going around the village and then stopping at the next one and that was what they intended to do. Of course things never work out the way we plan.
While they were talking, they once again had no idea that they were being watched… however this time it was by someone who wanted to help them. A group of soldiers where watching them from the shadows.
"I have to say that the resemblance is freaky," said a man with a deep scar running down the side of his face, and holding a large knife.
"For once I have to agree with you," said the gruff voice of a muscle bound man with a 3 foot sword.
"They're kids', so capturing them is so going to be too easy. Why he even wants them alive is beyond me," said a scrawny looking man with a bunch of rope and a small knife.
"Yes, but since there are two of them can't we just kill one and take the other back?" asked the man with the scar.
"You heard what our employee said," said the scrawny man. "We need to bring BOTH of them back alive and unscathed."
"Why?" he whined. "What is our employee planning to do with both of them?"
The muscle man shrugged. "Who knows who cares? We won't get paid unless we bring them both back alive and unharmed. Unless you're scared of getting beat up by two little kids?" he said with a sadistic smile.
The scared man gave him a big 'pow' to the head and told him to shut up or he'd pull his tongue out of his head. "Shut up both of you," said the scrawny man. "Just grab them, tie them up, and then we drag them both back. Easy right? So let's hurry and get this over with already and don't mess up this time."
"Right boss," replied the other two men.
Both of them walked together, laughing and talking about what they would do once they reached the next village. They decided to stop by and pick up some coats because the weather was getting colder by the day.
They stopped by a river to rest for a minute when Yami said, "So if things keep going well it shouldn't be long until we reach the northern shore, Yugi."
Yugi gave him a big smile and answered, "That's good, I'm tired of walking." As they continued talking they didn't even hear the soft sound of footsteps creeping up from behind them and by the time they noticed it was too late.
(To make a long story short both boys were hog tied and caught in the same net and where being dragged towards Yami's village)
Yugi clung to Yami as they were dragged back towards the village. Yugi could feel tears slowly beginning to fall as he buried his face into Yami's shirt. Yami wrapped his arm around Yugi and held him as his tears began to stain Yami's shirt.
Yami was thinking fast… there had to be a way to get out of here… but nothing came to his mind.
He let himself be dragged off in a net and listening to the men gaggle on and on… just waiting for the right time. But while he was waiting something disturbing came into his mind. These thieves… they are here to capture us… both of us. I don't know how but the only person who could have made something like that… is my father. Why? And why are they after Yugi?
Yugi continued to cry loudly until the man with the scar got so tired of hearing him whine that he raised his hand and with an almightysmack hit Yugi so hard that he blacked out. Yami then started to call the man names that any mother would make him clean his mouth out with soap but they just hit him also to shut him up… although not hard enough to knock him out.
He kept fighting back but every time he did he got a hard smack across the face. He just had to be patient until he got a chance to get him and Yugi out of here. But he would get them out… or at least Yugi anyway.
As he thought that he pulled Yugi closer to him and vowed that he would do whatever it took to protect his friend. But before he could think of anything else… Yami's own personal hell just appeared in front of them.
Yami was home.
Yami's village was a large fishing village which was somewhat isolated, and sited around a small natural harbor which provides safe haven for a village fleet of fishing boats. The village needed to provide a safe way of landing fish and securing boats when they are not in use. If a fisherman from outside the village lands fish on the beach, he gives some of the fish to the village headman. Village fishing boats are usually characteristic of the stretch of coast along which they operate. Traditional fishing boats evolve over time to meet the local conditions, such as the materials available locally for boat building, the type of sea conditions the boats will encounter, and the demands of the local fisheries.
Apart from catching fish, fishing villages often support enterprises typically found in other types of village, such as village crafts, transport, schools and health clinics, housing and community water supplies. In addition, there are enterprises that are natural to fishing villages, such as fish processing and marketing, and the building and maintenance of boats.
Medieval towns tended to grow around areas where people could easily meet, such as crossroads or rivers. Towns needed more water than villages, so a nearby water supply was vital. Rivers would provide the water used for washing and drinking and they were used for the disposal of sewage (if it had not been simply thrown into the streets).
Yami had hoped that he would never have to see this place again.
'Flowers wither and lose their hue, much as I, reflect in vain time lost to the long rain. Back then I had to work so hard to win my freedom? I... I have... I have nothing...' he thought to himself silently.
Well maybe not nothing…
"Yugi" he whispered so quietly that the men had no hope of hearing. Yugi didn't stir. He was out cold.
He let the men pull them out of the net and tie them up before throwing them into the back of a cart. They were tied so tightly that they couldn't move, their eyes were also covered, and they had gags in their mouths so they couldn't call for help. Yami fought valiantly against his bonds while his mind worked quickly, trying to think of something that he could do to get them out of this mess.
While he fought; Yugi dreamt.
Yugi wandered through his dreamland, living battles he doesn't remember fighting. What's a dream and what's a memory? What's reality and what's a tale? For as long as he can remember he'd memories. And some particular memories played themselves over and over again in him mind.
His mother was laughing as she held Yugi close to her.
"Whole villages... destroyed. At the time of the invasion, a division of knights have entered the city—there was fire, and exploding stones. Friend and foe died alike. Something was there—something that could kill many people in just one night. The ultimate power was there."
Yugi listened to her with his eyes wide as dinner plates. "Momma, is that why they moved to the island? To keep it from destroying anything else?"
"Yes, Yugi," said his mother gently. "Merlin and Morgan le Fay didn't want any more innocent people to die because of a few evil men. So they sealed the ultimate power on top of the tower in the middle of an island, in the middle of nowhere.
"On the farthest shores,
Beyond the dagger rocks"
And past the river of time...
Shrouded deep in a roiling mist...
The sacred ship sleeps: its name… Swiftflight
Who knows the Paths?
Children, alone, know the way."
"Lo, Child, born from days unfold,
Oh, young, pure heart, free of any evil.
Know this: This tower
Challenges the sky,
Where the watcher; the true guardian,
He waits, for one with a pure heart.
Those without power,
Want it not.
Those with power,
Trust it not.
Those with sight,
Heed it not.
Destroy the illusion,
Cut through to the true path.
You must choose the right way, but not just for yourself,
Decide what is most important in the end."
This always puzzled Yugi. "Momma what does that part mean?"
She smiled before taking his hands in hers and said, "I'll tell you… Part One: Close Your Eyes… Part Two: Cross Your Fingers… Part Three: And Make a Wish…"
The dream faded and a new one took its place.
His father picked him up and carried him on his shoulders as they walked forward to the well to get water for the evening. "What could possibly be worse than falling off a cliff and dying? Finding yourself... in unfamiliar territory..."
"Why is that worse than dying dad?" little Yugi asked curiously.
"Well, if you die then you don't have to worry anymore. But if you are stuck in someplace that you've never been then you will have a fear of being somewhere, completely alone.
Yugi shivered. The way that dad made it sound was scary; he grasped ahold of his father even tighter. His father smiled.
"Don't worry, Yugi," said his dad. "You're strong… you'll make it."
A new dream came forward.
"Momma, I don't know how it works. Like when I see you and daddy together, it's like I can see a really strong connection between you both. It's those connections that I see. Just by looking at someone I can tell what's going on inside them. I don't know how else to describe it. When I meet someone I can see their true essence. People can try and hide their true intentions. But I can get past all that, it's like I can tell who a person really is."
"It's a gift, Yugi," said his mother. "A wonderful gift."
Now it's the day that he left the village and when he was speaking to the man in the cart.
"And what if you don't have any friends?" asked Yugi before he could stop himself.
"I'll tell ya kid... someone who doesn't have any friends is person, is a person who lives only half way."
Now Yugi was really confused. What did the man mean? He still didn't understand. What did he mean 'lives only half way'?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but I still don't understand. Can you explain it to me in a way that makes sense? Please?" he asked.
The man smiled gently. "Ok, kid, I think the best way for me to say it is that, the best you can do for a friend is simply to be his friend. You have might not have tons of wealth to bestow on him or land to give them. But if they know that you are happy just by being with them, if they are a real friend, then they will want no other reward. A real friend can be quite as dear to you as a sibling would be to you. I don't really know how else to describe it.
Ya see, but you see friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. Aside from love. It's not something you can be taught on your own, but even if you studied for 1000 years and haven't learned the value of friendship, you haven't really learned anything at all. Get it, kid?" the man asked when he was done talking.
The first part Yugi understood. A friend is like a sibling to you. Someone who would be happy just to be with you, at least that's what Yugi thought. But the man just lost him with that last part. "if you haven't learned the value of friendship, you haven't really learned anything at all." What did that mean?
"I'm sorry," said Yugi feeling dumber by the second. "But I'm still not sure I get it. I mean… how do you know when someone becomes your friend?" he asked.
The man thought about that for a minute before answering, "You ask some deep questions, kid. You really are mature for someone ya age, kid. Well, we can never tell the precise moment when a friendship is formed."
…
The man thought about that one for a minute before answering. "Well, I know that me and Alfleda becoming friends wasn't just acoincidences," he answered slowly. "I needed a companion for my long journeys, but able to work with me and help me when I was down and push me when I needed a push. So when I met Alfleda, here, when she and I was young, the choice was clear. It had to be her."
Yugi smiled. "But when did you really become friends?" he asked again.
For a while the man didn't speak. "It's strange," he said quietly. "Even after all these years I'm still not entirely sure how or when we became friends. All I know is that we were suddenly together and that's all that matters."
Yugi thought that he understood but before he could really think about it the man spoke again. "Listen, kid, its hard to really understand friendship unless you have one. You don't have too many friends, I take it?" he asked looking back at Yugi.
Yugi could feel red creep into his face. He didn't know what to say to this man… but Yugi got the feeling that he wasn't just a cart-driver. He was someone else. But before Yugi could say anything else the man smiled good-natured at him before turning to face the road again. "Its, alright, kid" he said. "You're still young. It might take a while for you to find a real friend. But just remember, kid, the greatest gift is not found in a castle nor under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends."
Yugi nodded. He knew that much. He knew when he left the village that it was going to be a long, and hard journey. But that wasn't going to stop him. He wasn't going to spend the rest of his life in that village, feeling so lonely that he could hardly bare it. Without thinking about it he spoke again; he forgot about the man driving here for a second. "How do know if your friends a real friends?" he asked himself again.
"The greatest of friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and downright impossible to forget."
Yugi looked up. The old man had spoken again. "We each need to find our own friends in this world, kid. Sometimes it's just not easy. "Well, if you ask me, kid, the best kinds of friendships are the ones that last. The ones that, like ya know, a friendship with friends that, not only protect you from others when something goes bad, but from yourself when you try to take blame. To have a true friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."
Every important memory and adventure crossed his mind.
"As I pass through this lengthy struggle of life in this fleeting world, I cannot help but long for the midnight moon I once saw."
And then everything went dark.
Yugi carefully walked through this neverending darkness; trying so hard to be brave, although all he could see was fear covering his eyes as they started to flow with tears. As he sat there now, yearning for Yami to come here to embrace and comfort him. He started to cry and wonder why he was left alone to hope alone... in this dreamland.
Yami couldn't sleep. (You wouldn't either if you were bound, gagged, and being taken somewhere you didn't want to go.
He didn't know how long he and Yugi where stuck in the cart but he knew that it must have gotten late, because he could hear birds chorusing in woeful complaint of air dense with droopy curtains of cold.
He fumbled his cold-tipped fingers with the rope binding his hands but they wouldn't give. He thought to himself 'I wonder why we are here now and why we were taken. I wonder why we're not sitting in front of the river fishing to the night's meal, while blowing away the valleys and waves of Goosebumps. I wonder why we're taken from our quest to find the flying ship.'
This weather is not conducive to sleep. It's not conducive to peace or embrace or warm tender whispers. It's the kind of weather that leaves people smoky-eyed and restless. Nights like this make lily gardens freeze over, make people bitter, while making dogs and cats howl at the moon. Nights like tonight are landscapes meant to be clawed through by fingernails, ridden across like wild animals and plummeted into like a pearl-diver exploring shimmery green seaweed in a dark indigo abyss.
If you we were free, I'd tell you where the pearls are hidden.
If you we were free…
Will they ever be free?
He knew he got them mixed up in a prison of another shape. They could've been lying out on the damp grass staring up at the fallen stars and frozen lemony tequila running down our chins as we tell each other stories about what they would do when they found the ship.
They could've jump the fences and run through the forests while waiting for the moon to fail and run through the bright and warm sunlight, laughing and enjoying their youth.
But all too soon though, they were dragged back into a trap and held captive by their own dark pasts.
This night will be one of the hardest nights they will be forced to go through.
And yet.
Yami couldn't help but have a faint hope that they would become break from the chains holding them back and they would once again taste the sweet flavor of freedom.