A Yugi/Yami story

Through a Dragon's Eye

Chapter 15-Swiftflight/Plagued Ship

"Yugi?" he whispered.

Yugi's head popped up immediately. He turned towards Yami. "Yami" he exclaimed quietly. "I was so worried. You've been out cold for most of the day."

Yami blinked a few more times until his eyes adjusted to the light. He was tied to the mast, right besides Yugi, in chains. Boy they weren't taking any chances on having them try to escape. "What's going on?" he asked Yugi quietly.

Yugi shook his head, "I don't know. They keep arguing with each other; none of these guys seem to be smarter than a dog. You should've seen them earlier—half of them don't know what to do without having someone yelling orders at them. But I do know that they know where they're going."

Yami looked around at the plagued ship and the water surrounding them. He couldn't see any land at all. It was just them surrounded by a large puddle of water.

"Just where are we going?" he asked himself more than Yugi.

"To the Vanishing Isle," said Yugi almost bitterly.

"I know that," said Yami rolling his eyes. "I mean where exactly are we going? Just how far is the Vanishing Isle? And why do they need you to find it? How are they going to find it? I mean it's not like you know where it is… doing you?"

Yugi shook his head. "No. And I've been trying to tell these guys that ever since they tied us to the mast. I keep asking why they need me but they just grunt and walk off." It was then that Yami heard a slight grumbling coming from his stomach. When was the last time that they had eaten?

Yugi must have heard it too because he said, "Don't tell them you're hungry. I said that I was and they shoved something slimy and gross down my throat. My mouth still tastes like…" he shuttered at whatever he was thinking. "Believe me. Going hungry is better than eating whatever they have cooking."

"I'll take your word for it, Yugi," said Yami in disgust. What do they have planned for them?

"Now, now Yami," said a voice that he knew all too well. "That would be telling wouldn't it?" what do you know? Dear old dad just made an appearance. He walked over smiling to the captive boys and asked them, "Are you in pain son?" in a silky voice.

That alone was what did it. "Yeah," he said with as much hatred he could muster. "Yes, I'm in great pain and it's all coming from you. The only way that I can find peace is if your head was cut off, and then had a stake through your heart, then had it burned and only then could my pain stop."

Yugi was looking at him in surprise. He had never heard Yami say such awful things before. Not that he blamed him this time.

"I see that you never learned manners while you were away," said dad calmly.

"I'm a survivor. That pretty much cancels out good manners."

"You never learn."

"That depends on who's teaching."

"Boss!" his father turned and one of the boys came over with a dazed look on his face. "We are on schedule, and we should be there by morning tomorrow."

"Excellent!" he said. "Keep on this course." When the guy didn't move; dad added, "Get back to work."

"Oh, yes sir," he stuttered stupidly. He ran off. Yugi was right—these guys don't know what they're doing half the time without having someone bark orders. Where did his father get these losers?

"I swear," his father said shaking his head and holding his hand to his temple as if he had a headache (which he probably did to) "You cant find good help these days. These boys always get lost in their own minds."

"Like you do all the time? You know the only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."

His father gave him another dangerous look. "Careful Yami," he hissed through gritted teeth. "Unless you want to spend the rest of the trip with your eyes closed then I suggest that you shut up." He looked from Yami to Yugi and back again before adding, "We need your friend alive but no one said anything about you." And without another word he strode away from them and headed to the wheel.

"I hate when he does that," hissed Yami.

"Yami," whispered Yugi. He sounded scared. "Please be careful with what you say. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore." Yugi sniffed.

Yami felt sick to his stomach. He hated to make Yugi feel bad because of him. "Don't worry, Yugi," he said soothingly. "We're gonna be alright. We're gonna get out of here; we just need to wait for the right moment."

"When will that be?" asked Yugi desperately.

"I don't know yet," said Yami honestly. "But we'll know it when we see it. I can just feel it. Until then just be strong; and I promise to try and keep my mouth shut."

Yugi nodded, looking a little bit better. 'I hope that you aren't making a promise that you can't keep, Yami. We're in big trouble here. Bigger than anything else we've ever been in,' he thought to himself.

'I hope that I'm not making a promise that I can't keep," thought Yami to himself." We're in big trouble here. Bigger than anything else we've ever been in.' he let out a soft sigh. He was going to get them out of here no matter what it takes… even if the bad guy was his own father.

Onwards they sailed in the calm weather. Neither Yugi nor Yami said too much because they didn't want to risk any of the men overhearing them. The best that they could do was give each other hopeful glances and small smiles. They watched the sun slowly set and the darkness took them and the boat. So now it's not bad enough that they're tied to a mast in chains, hungry, thirsty, tired, upset, and in pain on a pirate ship with a crew of blood-thirsty pirates. But they're tied to a mast in chains, hungry, thirsty, tired, upset, and in pain on a pirate ship with a crew of blood-thirsty pirates in the dark.

Things couldn't get any worse.

And I really should stop saying that.

Yugi started to doze off while Yami decide to keep watch. It was kinda pointless but he felt better knowing that he could do something to help instead of being tied up. All night he kept watch over his friend as watched the crew with the dirtiest looks he could manage. Most of them just ignored him and left him alone but every once in a while a thug would come over to taunt and make fun of them. of course Yami would reply with the cheekiest answers he could come up with.

"What did you say, runt?"

"I just said that everyone is entitled to be stupid, but you guys are the ones who abuse the privilege."

"So runt, are you applying that we are stupid?"

"I never implied you were stupid; that would be a huge step up for you."

(This went on for most of the night)

"Look, I told you that if I agreed with you we'd both be wrong."

"Why—you—you"

"Wow! Great comeback"

(Yami sure wasn't making friends on this ship)

"A word to the wise isn't necessary; it's you stupid ones who need all the advice."

(This went on till the sun had begun to rise and they were looking forward to getting rid of Yami as soon as they could.)

A gorgeous sunrise began to rise in the east; the sky was all different colors… like a peacock's tail. A strange mist began to cover the sea right in front of them. at first Yami didn't pay too much attention—that is until the legend began to play itself in his mind.

"Countless kings and people that fought for control of it were angry at the two wizards for locking the ultimate power away, far beyond their reach. They demanded that Merlin and Morgan release its power and give it to them. The wizards refused many times, but they were finally resorted to placing a curse upon the greedy. They were sealed into the magical mist surrounding the island itself, so instead of gaining the ultimate power, they would be cursed to guard it until the time that a chosen one would come and rightfully claim it."

They were close now… but wait… they need the flying ship… so why would they sail to a place where they needed a flying ship when they didn't have one… unless… no…

It was then that his father made himself known.

"My brothers! Today is the day! Today we shall finally claim what was destined for us! The Vanishing Isle is in our grasp! For now we hold the keys to finding it!"

Yami felt a deep, boiling anger in the pit of his stomach as he felt Yugi shift uncomfortably.

His father walked forward until he stood in front of them and put his hand under Yugi's chin. "Who would have thought that the key to the greatest gift of mankind would be a little boy?"

"Get away from him!" yelled Yami angrily. His father smiled again before placing his hand under Yami's chin to get a good look at his face. "And who would have thought that my own son would play a part in this in story? if I had known that getting closer to the Vanishing Isle was for you to run away I would have given you all the more reason to take off." Suddenly he turned to the crew, his back to the boys.

"It fell in the ancient periods which the brooding soul surveys, forever cursed by the wizards Merlin and Morgan le Fay. Cursed buy the wild nature of time itself; cursed by the calendar decades and centuries. This was the lapse of men, which in Paradise fell. The wizards made themselves the laws of form, and with low tones they decided to lock the power that was given to the hands of humans. And doubtless they locked away this power, the power that was meant for humans, and unreachable by ships."

His crew let out loud boos and cries of rage, as Yami's father spoke again with piercing eyes, a shudder ran around the sky. "The stern of old war-gods shook their heads in rage; the seraphs frowned from beneath the sky; all angry toward the foolish wizards who took away the power that was meant to be ours. The balance-beam of Fate was bent; the bounds of good and evil were rent; all slid to confusion. A sad self-knowledge withering fell on the beauty of the power. Well we are here to correct that mistake! We are going to take back what was meant for ours! We have the key to claiming what should have been in the hands of humans from the beginning!" he ended his speech in a triumph voice, Yami had to hand it to his father; he always knew how to get a crowd on his side.

"We have traveled north and with the magic we had discovered we found the ship and transformed it! Thanks to me and all others who have leant a hand in my goals; the once glorious Swiftflight! Is now the Plagued Ship!"

No… Yami was right… they were on Swiftflight… his father had polluted it… changed it… turned something beautiful… into something so ugly and frightful…

He looked at Yugi who was staring back, his wide amethyst eyes fearful. Yugi was scared now; Yami knew that he was scared before—but this was a different kind of fear—the kind that took away all hope. And Yami could feel himself beginning to fall into that same fear…

"Forward into the mist!" yelled his father. "Our prize is close at hand!"

Yami was all numb; he couldn't think straight. What were they going to do? He couldn't see a way out of this. Even if they do escape—what next? They would be stuck on the Vanishing Isle—no way they could get out this mess. He looked up in time to see a solid wall of mist in front of them… and they were heading straight for it.

"Yami?" whispered Yugi so quietly that Yami was sure at first if Yugi had spoken. "Yami? I just want to let you know that no… no matter… no matter what happens here I don't blame you for any of this. None of this is your fault I know that better than anyone."

Yugi looked up at him and gave him a small smile. Yami turned his face away—trying to rid himself of the tears that were forming in his eyes.

The ship sailed closer… closer… closer… until… they had entered the mist and everything had faded from view.

The mist was so thick that you couldn't see anything in front of you. If Yami hadn't been tied to the mast, he could have raised his hand to his face and not have seen anything. The only thing that kept him from going insane was Yugi's quiet, though deep, breathing right beside him. How the crew could work a ship when they can't even see what's going on, Yami didn't know. He just hoped that they could get out of this mist as soon as possible.

That's when things began to changed… and not for the better.

The white fog had changed; it was still as thick as before but now it had changed to a black, almost smoke color. It began to twinkle as if there were little fairy lights sparkling everywhere; he began to hear voices… the voices of both the crew beginning to panic… and the voices of another…

These voices sounded almost human—but it was like they were mixed with unearthly voice. The sound was both mesmerizing—and terrifying. He couldn't breathe, he felt sick, like he was gonna pass out. He felt as if everything was closing in around him; as if the mist was slowly trying to choke him. The mist began to rumbling; as if it was teeming with rain. The ocean's water became swollen and fierce in its flow. The water began hitting the boat—twisting and swirling everywhere. It was the most horrible feeling he could ever have imagined. It was like he could hear every little noise coming from miles around. That the tiniest splash sounded like a crash, that the wind sounded like a roar. Waves break violently against the boat on each side.

Yami couldn't take it, he closed his eyes, he needed air, he needed to get out of there—he was wishing that someone would come and knock him out again just for a chance to escape this torture. Nothing was worth this. Nothing. He just wanted it all to stop—and then…

… it did.

As quickly as it had come; it had disappeared. Yami started taking deep breaths, filling his lungs with much needed air. He could feel the air around him as he felt the smothering air disappearing, he could feel sunshine on his face, he could taste the salty air—for a moment he was light-headed before he came to his senses.

He opened his eyes…

… and what he saw would shock and amaze him for the rest of his life… which might not be that long.