Chapter 14: The search is on
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, only my original creations. So no sue please.
A/N: Well, I owe all my readers a big apology. More than two years since my last update and over a year since I promised the last one. For that, I'm truly sorry. Thanks a very special reader, I've gotten back on track again after sorting out my personal problems. Light's Sojourn is now back in full production and I plan to have at least two more chapters out before Christmas, hopefully three if all goes right. I'm hoping to finish this one soon and get on with some other projects that I have on hold, including Ignorance is Never Bliss. With that one, I am planning a complete overhaul of the entire story. I have the entire plotline worked out and hope to get that off ground before the end of the year. Again, I want to thank everyone for their patience and I hope that you stick with this just a little bit longer.
Waiting was always the hardest thing to do, especially when concern for a friend weighs heavy on one's heart. After Solitaire's departure, the others had sat in nervous silence. Anzu had tried to start up a conversation once or twice, but it was only met with more silence. No one was really in the mood to talk right now, even if it were just to pass the time until dragon and hikari returned again. They were all just too worried about what was happening with Yugi right now.
It was still hard for any of them to believe that Yugi had kept this sort of thing from them. Even if they hadn't known each other for all that long in the grand scheme of things, any one of them would have thought he would have trusted them enough to talk about his troubles. Then again, they had to remember that Yugi wasn't a typical case. He wasn't even human. Though he might see them as his friends, he more than likely saw his problems beyond their scope of understanding. It wouldn't be the first time when it came to anything concerning the Shadow Realm.
And as much as they might want to understand that right now, all of them knew that it was best for them to remain where they were for now. It was difficult to remain behind as Solitaire had requested though. Each and every one of them, even Kaiba though he might not admit to it, was getting restless. As each moment wore on, they wanted more and more to go and check up on their two friends. But each time one of them started to find some excuse to go and check on the pair, the dragon's words came chiming back into their heads. So they continued to wait until nearly an hour had passed.
By that time, each of them was getting the sickening feeling that something was wrong. They should have seen at least some sign of hikari and dragon by this point, even if it were just to go back to Yugi's room. Solitaire was good enough at persuasion that she should have been able to manage that with Yugi by now. Yet that didn't seem to be the case as there was nothing but silence from the doorway that the two had exited out of earlier.
Finally, Honda said," I don't like this. I know Solitaire said to give her some time, but it's been too long. Maybe we oughta go check on them or something."
"Y-yeah," Anzu agreed," I mean, Yugi didn't look so good and even if Solitaire can calm him down, they might need some help getting him upstairs."
That was all it really took to get everyone going. Almost as one, Anzu and the boys, save Kaiba, practically bolted out the door. The latter came as well, though not as quickly. Though he was getting worried as well, he did have a bit more faith in what Solitaire had told them. She had handled herself well enough in the past that he knew that she could handle any argument with Yugi, no matter how unruly a mood he might seem to be in.
It took them a little while to search out the garden where Yugi and Solitaire might have hidden themselves. They all knew how much Yugi loved to explore the garden and how he had found most of the alcoves whenever he went on one of his expeditions. Sometimes Jou thought that the hikari knew the gardens better than the actual house residents did. He always seemed to be able to pick out spots that no one would have considered. So it wouldn't have surprised him at least if Yugi had chosen way out of the way alcove that none of them knew about.
When they were about halfway through the garden, Mokuba remembered the particular that Yugi favored in that area. Thinking it best to continue their search from there, the others followed his advice. It was what they found upon rounding the corner that both startled and enraged them. There lay a prone Solitaire with no sign of Yugi in sight. Above her stood the ugliest little brute that any of them had ever seen. In its claws, the creature held a bust, which it seemed to be aiming towards Solitaire's head.
That was all it took for Jou. With a loud battle cry, Jou launched himself at the stranger. So focused on his task of torturing Solitaire, the intruder had little time to anything other than turn to see just what was coming his way. The next thing he knew, the wind was being knocked out of him as Jou landed his full weight on the intruder. The bust landed with a hard thump off to the side, landing just beyond the bench where Yugi had been sitting earlier. Jou then proceeded to land a few punches for good measure, just to show this stranger who was boss. It all happened so quickly that Jou neither truly realized what he was attacking nor did his intended punching bag react until a few moments after the fact.
By the time the little toad did start to fight back, reinforcements had already arrived. Honda didn't take the extreme like Jou had, but he was ready with a punch or two of his own before helping his friend to pin the other down. It wasn't easy though. Even if the stranger still had a hard time against the weight of two full sized humans, he still put up a good fight. He snarled and spit at them, trying to free his arms so that he could stake a swipe at them. When Jou and Honda weren't trying to keep him pinned, they were trying to avoid the spikes near his shoulders.
"Release me, pathetic humans, or suffer the wrath of Gil!" he croaked.
"Not on your life, fly breath," Honda grunted as he and Jou struggled to keep Gil under control.
Behind them, the others were seeing to Solitaire. None of them were sure why she hadn't responded yet. When Seto reached down and took hold of her, he could feel the warmth still beneath her scales. There was a strong, steady heartbeat when he felt for a pulse and breath when he put a hand on her snout. Those were more than enough signs to tell them that she was still alive. It was just for some reason, she wasn't able to move.
"What's wrong with her, Seto?" Mokuba asked cautiously.
"I'm not sure, Mokuba, but it's probably more of that magic mumbo jumbo. Whatever's been used on her, it won't let her move," Seto responded.
While the Kaiba brothers tended to the dragon, Anzu had gone to help the others. While they struggled to keep Gil under control, she had ripped a garden hose from its housing and brought it over. With that, they were able to tie Gil down and keep him under better control. Of course, that was after they managed to slip the rubber around those spikes of his. Each time they tried, it seemed that they would cut right through the hose. It was only when they settled for simply hogtieing the little toad that things were easier to manage.
"Okay you, start talkin'. What's wrong with Solitaire and where's Yugi?" Jou demanded.
Gil just snapped and hissed again. He wriggled around, trying to free himself from his bonds. It didn't get him far and Jou offered a sharp kick to the side when Gil got a little too close to the others. That probably wasn't the best course of action to take, given how the wannabe toad was their only source of information at the moment. Jou however, was starting to get more than a little aggravated with this particular prisoner.
Not that it really mattered if Gil answered Jou's questions or not. About now, Seto could feel as Solitaire was starting to move again. It was slight at first, just claws and maybe her tail tip, but she was starting to regain mobility in her body again. That was a sure sign that whatever spell had been cast on her was finally beginning to wear off at last. For the dragon, that told her that she had been hit with a milder spell than a full blast. Otherwise, she knew she probably wouldn't be moving for days.
The others didn't know that of course. They still had no idea what was going on. All they knew was that Yugi was gone and that Solitaire was alone with some disgusting creature that called itself Gil. And since Gil wasn't forthcoming with any information besides how much the humans would pay for taking him captive, the only one who could give them any answers was Solitaire. Until the spell wore off completely however, they were pretty much stuck. So all they could do was watch and wait as the dragon slowly started to move again as she got control back.
"Raawr!" Solitaire growled," That witch is dead when I get my claws on her!"
"All right, dragon, spill. What's going on? Where's Yugi?" Seto demanded as he set Solitaire on her feet.
Her head hanging in shame, Solitaire moaned," I don't know. They took her. That witch and her cronies took him."
"What witch, Solitaire?" Anzu pressed.
"Some lady named Miaka. She said she was from the Abyss and that she was looking for a hikari for some reason. That's why she zapped me and took Yugi," the dragon answered.
"Of course she took the Hikari. Mistress seeks to be the most powerful, as is her right. She will take his magic and he will be dead when she is done. Then nothing will stand in her way," Gil cackled.
Shock and disbelief ran through the group at hearing this. They may not have known the reason why someone would want to kidnap Yugi, but none of them would have suspected his death would be involved. Each had come to accept the fact that regardless of his appearance, Yugi would not fade from the world as they knew it. He was eternal, destined to be there alongside his shadow lover. The thought of anyone being able to kill him just didn't fit for the humans.
For their dragon companion though, the thought did more than just shock her. Unlike the others, she knew that even a hikari was vulnerable to a few things. Such forces were just so far and in-between, that under most circumstances she wouldn't give them any thought. After all, with a yami constantly on guard of their hikari, why was there any reason to worry? A yami would take care of anything that dared to come near his light before there was any real chance of threat. At least, under most conditions that was the case but this time, it wasn't.
"You bastard!" Solitaire snarled as she leapt upon Gil and started shredding at him with the claws and fangs.
The stunned group of humans made no move to intervene and that was probably for the best. Once a dragon, regardless of size, has been angered, there is nothing in all the realms that could stand in their way until their wrath is satisfied. If anything stood in their way, be it friend or foe, the same wrath would fall upon whatever had stepped into the dragon's path. It was a harsh truth but one that was accepted when it came to dragons, who were creatures that lived by their own rules.
At the same time however, Solitaire couldn't be allowed to kill Gil. Regardless of her feelings towards him, he was still the only clue that they had at the moment to Yugi's location. Without him, there was little to no chance of finding the hikari before the unthinkable happened. So even if they all might have felt some urge to let Solitaire have her way with Gil and rip him to shreds, for the moment, that had to be put on hold. For the time being, they needed him alive.
"Solitaire stop!" Honda ordered.
"Enough's enough, ya overgrown sparkplug. Just back off for a bit," Jou demanded.
Claws raking across Gil's temple, Solitaire merely hissed in response. Her mind was so bent on revenge at this point that she didn't see reason the way that the humans did. Right now, she only cared to make her prey suffered as he had tried to do to her and her master. For a dragon, it was only fitting to do so.
"Solitaire, you have to stop. If you kill him, then we won't be able to find Yugi. He's gonna die if you don't quit it," Anzu protested.
That was all it took. Upon realizing that her friend's life depended on the pathetic waste of flesh she was tearing apart, Solitaire ceased her attack. With a final swipe of her claws across Gil's face, she backed away and let the wounded creature be. He was alive and nowhere near dead yet, but the damage that he had received at the dragon's claws would always remain. In her rage, she had torn away great strips of his skin and torn deep into the muscle tissue of his face and upper torso. Blood flowed freely from where he had been bitten, electrified and clawed, though none of them made any move to tend the injuries.
Though it was normally not in their nature to leave someone wounded as Gil was, the humans knew that he had earned the fate that Solitaire had bestowed. He had helped to bring about harm to someone that meant no ill towards others, taking him from those that were companions and protectors. So as he lay there, moaning in pain, none of them moved to help him. Instead, they just stood back, allowing Solitaire to growl and hiss at her former victim, knowing that if he tried to escape, that the dragon would be all over him before he could move far.
"I should kill you for daring to even look at my Master, but there's someone coming who'll take care of you even better than I could. Let's see if you're still snickering about what your stupid Mistress Miaka will do to Yugi after Yami-sama's done with you," Solitaire snarled.
Any retorts that Gil might have wheezed out were lodged in his throat when he heard that threat. For all the damage that she had just done to him, Gil didn't fear Solitaire. If it served his Mistress's cause, then he was more than willing to endure the punishment. That was how it had always been, even if it cost him his life. After all, even if she went that far, he would be back sooner or later like he always was. Even with that assurance, there was at least one thing that Gil wasn't willing to risk even for Miaka though and that was his soul. Of course, that was exactly what he would lose if he was questioned and punished by a yami. Even a creature from the Abyss had something to fear from the purest form of darkness itself. Once someone was taken by that, there was no hope of recovery after that.
"W-what?" Gil wheezed out weakly.
"You heard me, you sniveling piece of waste. Nothing I do will even begin to compare to what Yami-sama will do once he gets hold of you. You'll be lucky if he leaves a grease stain where you once were," Solitaire replied.
Trembling, Gil tried to gulp down his panic. Now he knew that he was truly in for it. He knew that what Solitaire was true. Her powers were nothing next to her master's lover, who was known as the strongest of the yamis inhabiting the Shadow Realm. Even the creatures in the furthest reaches of the Abyss had heard of Yami, the one who was often nicknamed the King of Games and the Pharaoh for his strength and prowess. Once he got his hands on Gil, there was no chance of escape, even if Miaka herself came back for him.
Like the sniveling coward that he was, Gil began whining and begging for his life once the realization had set in. He had no desire for his soul to fade. At least while that was around, he would be able to return to the Abyss where his body would eventually reform. For that was the one benefit that creatures of his realm had over others. While their bodies might die for a time, so long as the soul remained, then they would be able to return. That was why no creature from the Abyss feared death. It was not an obstacle for them as it was for others. If the soul was lost however, then any chance of return was null and void.
Both humans and dragon watched Gil with renewed disgust. It was bad enough that he had helped to capture their friend, but now he didn't even have the dignity to take the consequences of his actions. Instead he just lay there, hogtied with a garden hose, making more of a mess of himself than he already was. It was enough to make even Anzu, who usually had more sympathy for others than her friends, want to vomit.
That did raise a new concern for the group though. Solitaire had mentioned that Yami was coming to Earth. As far as anyone knew, he had no idea where that was. He didn't even know that Yugi and Solitaire were even here. All they knew was that Yami had started to look for Yugi, which had just led to this fiasco and the little one's capture. So to hear the dragon mention his impeding arrival raised more than one eyebrow on the subject.
"Wait, did you just say that Yami is coming to Earth?" Seto asked.
"Yes," Solitaire answered.
"How can you be sure that Yami's coming to Earth, Solitaire? You and Yugi both said that he doesn't know where you are. He's been looking but can't find you because Yugi kept blocking him," Mokuba protested.
"He said that it was faint, but Yugi was feeling Yami-sama pressing hard against the barrier he put in their link. He knows that Yugi is gone and he's starting to look for him. It's only a matter of time before he figures out that he came to Earth," Solitaire explained quickly.
"Any idea how long before he gets here?" Anzu asked.
"Not a clue. I just know that it'll be sometime soon if he's just now started to break through the mental barriers. Most of the time, if there's a mental barrier between them, a yami and a hikari will respect that because it means their partner wants some privacy. But sometimes, the yamis decide to break through the barrier because they feel that their hikari is in danger and want to find them quickly," Solitaire said.
"And since Yugi is probably unconscious or hurt, he won't have the strength to keep up the barrier anymore. Which means that it's going to fall and Yami will be able to read his mind again," Seto stated.
"Almost," nodded Solitaire," The problem is, when Yugi is unconscious, Yami-sama can't pick up on his exact location. The best he'll be able to do is to pick out what part of the link is open and use that to hone in on Yugi's general location."
"Wait a second. How come he can't pick up on Yugi's location when he's unconscious? I'd think that would make it easier to find him," Honda protested.
"Simple. When he's out cold, Yugi isn't picking up any information. He's pretty much dead to the world until he comes to. So how can Yami-sama know anything when there's nothing for him to see?" Solitaire replied.
Glancing from one to the other, the humans guessed that made sense. It certainly wasn't possible to think about anything while you were out cold. The only thing that you might even think about in that state was how much of a headache you might get from being knocked out. Other than that, everything would be a jumble at best.
"Besides, even if Yugi is the one he's looking for but he's not the first one Yami-sama's going to find. That's going to be me," Solitaire said.
"Why's that? I thought he was more concerned for Yugi," Anzu said.
"He is. It's just gonna be easier for him to find me. I'm a Shadow Realm dragon, remember? We practically scream dark energy when we're not in our natural realm. Since a Hikari is a creature of light, in a place like this, their energy signatures are toned down in comparison to everything else. That's why my energy will probably catch Yami-sama's attention as soon as he gets here. He'll assume that I know where Yugi is and come looking for me," Solitaire snorted.
"Okay so Yami's gonna be able to find you. Ain't that gonna be a good thing? I mean, with him around, we can find Yug' a whole lot faster than we could alone," Jou protested.
"No, it's the worst thing that could happen to us. We're dead if we don't find Yugi before Yami-sama gets here," Solitaire snapped.
"Why?" Jou demanded.
An enraged snarl escaped Solitaire at this. She honestly didn't know if the humans were playing dumb or if they were just trying to avoid the inevitable. After all that she had told them, they should have known that Yami coming here was a bad thing. He was power incarnate. There was nothing on this Earth that would be able to stand up to him if he unleashed his full powers. It was a disaster just waiting to happen if that came to pass.
"Let me put this in a way even a dumbass dog like YOU can understand, Jonouchi Katsuya," Solitaire growled," If we don't find Yugi before Yami-sama shows up, then we may as well kiss existence as we know it good-bye because we'll all be as good as dead."
"What do you mean we can kiss existence good-bye?" Seto demanded.
"Like I just said, no Yugi means we kiss this existence good-bye. Our souls will be dust in the wind along with everyone else on this planet once Yami-sama's done and that's if we're lucky. Otherwise, it's complete obliteration," Solitaire hissed.
"Come on. This Yami guy might be strong, but no one has that much power. It's impossible, right?" Honda joked half-heartedly.
"Oh really? Well think of something with a thousand times the force of one your atomic bombs, only its got a really bad attitude, a relentless urge to kill anyone and anything that gets in the way, and enough shadow magic to shatter this rock of a planet into a billion pieces. That's how bad one guy can be," Solitaire snapped.
That description certainly cut out any further jokes that Honda or anyone else might have made. From what Yugi and Solitaire had previously told them, they knew that Yami was not someone to be trifled with. If Yugi's powers were any indication of how strong light magic could be, then they knew that Yami's had to be immense as well. Not a fact to be scoffed, especially in their present situation. A situation that they were all starting to realize could actually turn lethal for their entire world if nothing was done.
"Hey, we're Yugi's friends. Maybe he'll listen to what we say," Anzu said hopefully.
Solitaire just snorted at the very concept. She couldn't believe that anyone could propose such an outlandish idea, even a human. There was no way in all the realms that an enraged yami would listen to anything that a few humans had to say, even if they were his hikari's friends. If anything, that just put them at the top of the hit list for having been the last ones in contact with the hikari before something bad happened.
"Do you honestly believe that Yami-sama cares about what any of you have to say?" she scoffed," If you do, then you're more of a baka than I thought. As far as Yami-sama's concerned, mortals like you have less worth than the dirt beneath our feet. All that matters to him is his hikari and everything else can just disappear into oblivion. He won't listen to reason anymore than Kaiba would let himself be used as someone's pawn."
That declaration, like so much today, didn't set well with the humans. Never once did they think that their world would ever be endangered by associating with the little Hikari and his dragon. Of course, they never would have thought that anyone would go out of their way to capture the light either. This whole situation was steadily growing out of control. It was enough to make one wonder how their lives had even come to this point.
Further discussion on the matter was soon lost however. Solitaire let out a deep hiss, scrambling up to Honda's shoulder as darkness began to descend on them. Everyone gathered closer and gaped as a deep mist began to form around them, blocking out all light and sense of the world around them. A mixture of black and purple swirls that seemed in constant motion, the mist crackled and hissed with bits of lightening that greatly resembled the sparks that Solitaire often gave off. The difference with this was the deep oppression that seemed to flow from the mist. The kind that not only dragged down the heart, but the soul as well.
"What's going on?!" Anzu cried, huddling behind Jou.
"We just got screwed," Solitaire gulped as shadows finally engulfed them all.
A/N: And there it is. I'm not totally satisfied with this chapter, but I think it will do for now. I'm already working on the next one and hopefully that will be out before the deadline. If not, then I'll let Yami Marik dye my hair neon pink or something. Until then, hope you enjoyed the chapter.