Sorry for the delay in updates, I've been very busy lately (my usual excuse). But seriously, I'm a yuppie and I have lots to prove to my bosses. Anyway, it took me awhile before I can wrap up this chapter because I'm still kinda clueless on how to develop the plot. There will be more Seto-Yui moments here but don't expect more—I like making my characters wait. :D
LeeRaRa: Haha. There will be a little more Yui-Seto in this chapter—but another character is making an appearance. I didn't mean to make it harem-ish but additional boys add to the plot!
ThePinkMartini: I think Yui's confusing because she's not sure how she should act in front of Seto. Ahaha. I was kinda rushing the last chappie to put in those little details. Sorry for that!
Disclaimer: FY and YGO are not mine.
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Shift in the Flow
By Slavedriver2008
Yui fidgeted in the horse, trying to put as much space as possible, earning a grunt from the man she was sharing the horse with. Seto pulled the reigns and the horse stopped walking. Yui could feel his eyes bore at the back of her head and it was not a comfortable feeling. Seto Kaiba always had a way of making her feel uneasy and being this close to him was ruining the uncaring mood she was trying to project in his presence.
"Stop fidgeting," he told her in a cold stern voice. All traces of the man who gave her a warm longing look a few days back had disappeared and Yui tried to dispel the nagging feeling that it was her fault.
You asked me to save you, that's why…
Yui shook her head and the horse twitched a little violently. Seto's arm wrapped around her waist as he tried to stop the horse from throwing them off. She held strongly to the mane and let out a tremble as their bodies bridged the space she placed earlier. She can hear warm angry breathing at the left side of her face but he refused to talk more. The overflowing controlled emotions in him were driving her insane. It was easier when he talked. When he kept quiet, guilt swam through her.
"Damn," he hissed as he struggled to pacify the horse. When it finally stilled, he slowly jumped off, leaving her sitting alone on the saddle. He gently pulled the reigns and the horse followed willingly. Yui's eyes widened—he was planning to walk.
"It's still far from Konan—" He turned to her with sharp blue eyes as if accusing her. Yui expected a banter but he gave none. Instead, he turned away, looking straight at the path. They left Taiitsukun's mountain earlier and she showed them a shortcut that will directly lead them to Konan. The others had left ahead and it was too late before she realized that they do not know how to go back to the Southern capital.
"The weather is good today, ne?" she asked, smiling at his direction. A good deal of silence had passed between them and the trees were thinning. He did not respond nor turned to her. "Should we stop for lunch?" she asked but there was still no response from him. Her jaw clenched and she frowned. "Fine, don't talk to me." She pulled the reigns from him, and in response, the horse fidgeted and eventually galloped away, leaving him shaken from the sudden movement.
"YUI!" he called out but she could not hear him, the tress whizzed past her and she embraced the horse, holding the mane tight with her fingers. She can feel herself slipping off the saddle as the ground became uneven under them.
"SETO!" she cried as fear gripped her. She had not expected the horse to run away from him. They reached the banks at breakneck speed and when Yui opened her eyes, the horse failed wildly, trying to fight the strong current at the middle of the river. She lost balance and fell down on the waters with a loud thundering crash. Within seconds, the waters were pulling her away, drowning her in sprays of mist. Her ankle hurt from the harness and she could not flap it to swim. She bobbed her head from the surface to take air, but was again pulled down. She swallowed water against her will and she gagged as oxygen leaves her too quick.
An arm wrapped around her and pulled her up, and she held to him with his life. She coughed out water when they reached the surface and she trembled as he pulled them off the deathly current through a root of a tree. All strength had left her and coldness filled her body. Seto was heaving when they reached dry land, staring at her in a stern undefined manner. She expected him to lash out and was not disappointed.
"Damn it, Yui. If you're trying to kill yourself, do it when I'm not around," he hissed angrily, giving her a murderous look. He was drenched as well and his cold blue eyes never lost the intensity.
"It's your fault," she breathed out in between deep intakes of breath. A lump formed in her throat and all the pent up emotions she tried to hide came out of her. She was being childish but she cannot stop it. She wanted…his attention.
"My fault?!" he bellowed and he angrily stood up and walked away, kicking off a piece of wood in fury. He breathed out and then turned to her, surprisingly calm. "Everything that happens to you ends up as my fault, isn't it?" He shook his head and turned away again, looking around for the horse. "Thanks to you, we're walking to the capital. Very ingenious, miko-sama."
Seto walked away and left her in the banks, disheartened at what happened. He had not even asked if she was feeling fine. But what warmth can she expect from him? He was Kaiba Corporation's mad genius. He even threw his father out of the company. Why had she expected him to have a heart? The face he had probably shown her when they met was due to desperation. Being alone in the book was always driving people to do insane things.
She stood up and walked toward the direction he left, slightly angry he departed without her. If it were Nakago, things would have been different. He would never leave her alone, never scream in anger, never blame her for losing the horse. Nakago was a million things Seto Kaiba was not, yet, in her heart she felt the same bond. She turned toward the raging waters, suddenly remembering the strong aggressive arms that saved her. There was no hesitation in him to jump and save her. It happened naturally, as if it was imbued in him. Maybe Seto was not how she thought him to be. Maybe his coldness was a shield of some sort, something similar to Nakago's ruthlessness.
The sound of breaking leaves brought her back to her senses and to her surprise, Seto came back with a blanket. He walked toward her, still in that stoic face, and wrapped it around her. When he was done, he pulled her hand and ushered her away from the waters. The contact made her warm and she held to him tighter. Seto briefly turned to her and then back on the way they were headed.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered as they walked. "It's my fault from the beginning."
"I know," he answered softly, not turning to her. "You're stupid not to follow me immediately. The forest is a dangerous place," he grunted, making Yui smile to herself. He was confusing but she liked that. At least someone was sane in this world. He stopped walking and sighed. "When this is over, Yui, it would be better if we forget each other exists."
"What?" she asked, surprised at his sudden change.
"I don't need a friend or anyone closer. I don't need an additional person to know my weaknesses." Seto turned toward her with a forlorn expression, but still, to Yui's relief, continued to hold her hand. "I am the CEO of one of Japan's most powerful corporation. People want my position. They'd gladly kill to share my power, hurt the people close to me. I don't want you—"
Yui laughed lightly, happiness filling her. One moment she thought he was shunning her away. Seto looked back with disbelief, slightly annoyed at being interrupted. "Nobody openly cared for me before," she whispered with a slight blush on her face.
"What…?" Seto asked, slightly blushing. "I believe you misunderstood—I don't care what happen to you. I—"
"Then it isn't a confession?"
"No, of course not," he uttered in a panicked face. Yui tried to hide her laughter at the way he tried to be civil. "There's absolutely nothing to confess. What I'm saying, before your gracious interruption—" Yui laughed louder. "—is that I don't want to be associated with you—"
"Why not?"
"Weren't you listening?" he asked in desperation. "I am a powerful man and people want to share my power. I do not want you to be close to me because—"
"—Some would gladly kill just to know your weakness," Yui finished for him and Seto nodded. "Then you do care about me."
"No, Yui. What ideas are you nurturing in your head?" he slapped his forehead with his hand and Yui laughed. He was an amusing and funny guy. A little confusing and totally inarticulate but he was handsome. He makes her heart race by acting all stupid and incoherent. "Put it this way, good-looking people do not always associate themselves with ugly people—" Her brows creased and he sighed. "What I meant was—"
"I'm ugly…?"
"No, no, no!" he told her, their eyes met and a wonderful warmth filled her. "You're beautiful—very beautiful…" he whispered. "You're perfect…" A shuddering feeling crawled from her spine to every part of her body. She could still not understand what he wanted to tell her but the closeness was making her light and happy.
"Are you sure this is not a confession?" she asked and he flushed. He moved away and was about to answer her when someone moved in the trees behind them. Seto immediately pulled her to his back. His sign shone brightly and the air around them shifted.
Footsteps came closer and a monk came into view. Chichiri lifted his straw hat and smiled at them, his mark was shining brightly on his knee. "It's dangerous to show your mark to just about anyone, eh, Nakago?" he looked at the younger man and frowned.
"Chichiri-san!" Yui called and walked toward him. Seto pulled her back but she pulled the hesitant man toward the visitor, rolling her eyes.
"Ah, Yui-sama. You look drenched. But more than that, I am happy to see you, no da." The monk smiled and Yui grew wary. Something was not right. Chichiri stayed at the palace to pretend to be Boshin but to find him here… "The Empress sent me to find you," the monk said as if to answer her question. "Should we find a place to dine and talk, no da?"
"Can we not do it in the palace?" she asked and the monk shook his head.
"The Seishuku dynasty is no more, no da," he said softly and Yui gasped.
"And Boshin—"
"It seems I cannot lure you into food, no da? But I guess this is a better place. No one would hear us here." He chanted and the mark on his knee glowed again. "There, I would know if someone is listening on us."
"Chichiri, what happened?"
"While Boshin-sama was away, the imperial magistrates uncovered that I was not Prince Boshin. This triggered a series of accusations at the Empress, saying she was merely using a wizard's evil powers to remain in power. The magistrates insisted that the Prince had long been dead," Chichiri narrated in a serious tone.
"Where are they?"
"At the bandit's lair in Mt. Reikaku—Tasuki received my message before they reached the border and evaded a possible attack from those who have been fighting for the throne." Chichiri looked around. "I am lucky to see you before you reach the border. You would have been killed if they find out you're the Seiryuu no miko."
"I don't understand. What happened to Empress Houki, then?"
The monk didn't answer immediately. "She had been executed without a trial." Yui gasped and her knees gave way. Seto wrapped his arms around her and numbness filled her body.
"Then Boshin is…" Tears fell from her eyes. "I shouldn't have allowed him go with us to Taiitsukun…"She fell down on the ground, Seto's arms still comforting her.
"Yui-sama, it's not your fault. The civil war had been brewing even before you came. Konan never had an Emperor for a long time—and Boshin's coronation could have prevented numerous other things. But it did not, it never happened. The most we could do is to keep you and Miaka safe, no da."
"But can we do? We're just normal high school students…"
"You forget that both of you had the power to change this world. You changed Kutou in the same way Miaka changed Konan, no da. You both came at the best and most interesting time." Chichiri smiled and she shook her head.
"I don't want another war."
"Kutou is now under its rightful dynasty. They say the young Emperor is a stern but just man. I have heard that the new Konan Emperor wants to increase its jurisdiction and—"
"—Invade Kutou…" Yui finished the sentence for him and the monk nodded.
"You still know the games of the generals no da," Chichiri teased and Yui made a face. "Given such circumstances, what do you think we should do, Yui-sama?"
"Appear before Kutou, force the Emperor to forge an alliance with the other kingdoms, and put Boshin back on the throne…?" she said softly. War tactics had been easy to remember because of Nakago. He never shared all his plans with her but he did teach her some things. "I don't think the new Emperor would want to help an enemy…"
"Konan is the enemy… but the Seiryuu no miko is not…"
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Yui whisked the excess water away from her hair. A cold bath at night was inappropriate in such climate but she needed time to think in a logical way. Seto and Chichiri were in the camp while she opted to bathe in the river, alone. Seto was hesitant at first to allow her but she could not stand having him see her naked.
She tied the towel around her chest and continued to dry her hair. The moon was full in the dark skies, lighting the surroundings the way numerous lampposts would light up the streets of Tokyo. She sighed and sat down on a log, looking up and reveling at its beauty. She had been in the book for more than a week now but there was still no clear path. When she first came in the book, she knew what she had to do: Look for her warriors and summon Seiryuu. But now that the East god had already been summoned and her warriors had sided with the demon, what was she supposed to do?
Would going back to Kutou give her a clearer path? What would happen after she meets the Emperor? Chichiri said that with her status, it would be easy to ask for an audience with him. But she brought Kutou in its current mess. If it weren't for her selfish war and Nakago's revenge, Kutou would never be as helpless as it was now. Konan would never thought of invading it, and Boshin would never have to suffer without his parents.
"Are you there, Seiryuu?" she called softly to the earring but nothing answered her. "Great, you're not around when I need you. What kind of god are you anyway?" she teased but still received no response from him. "I don't know what I've landed myself into but… don't leave me, okay?" she asked softly, unsure whether he heard her or not.
Footsteps emanated from the forest and Yui stood up in haste. A form slowly appeared in the shadows and her eyes widened when she recognized him. Long sunshine golden hair, deep blue eyes, and a handsome almost feminine face. Nakago stepped into the light and fell down on the ground, sputtering blood from his wounded mouth.
"Nakago…?" Yui asked but he ended up coughing blood, clutching his bloodied stomach. Yui threw away all her reserves and ran toward him, holding his hand. "What's wrong…?"
"Yui-sama…" he called in a familiar title and her skin prickled. To hear him call her in the same name brought an unexplainable shiver through her body. He roughly pulled her into his arms, his breathing was becoming uneven. Blood seeped through her towel and into her skin. "I'm not Nakago…" he coughed blood but continued to hold her close. "But whenever you call me Nakago… I… want to be Nakago…"
"Wait, I'll ask Chichiri to heal you—"
"I feel like I have been waiting for you all my life…" he whispered, cupping her face and looking at her in a calm contented manner. His eyes had lost its sparkle and it made Yui scared. How long had he been bleeding?
"Stop this, you'll die if you continue bleeding—" Nakago pulled her closer and covered her mouth with his. Tears fell from her eyes when he kissed her and an all too familiar sensation made its way to every part of her. She tasted blood but she couldn't move away. And she let the familiar feeling consume her.
Something shifted inside her and she felt Nakago's blue light. It shone wildly, emitting power and anger. Anger? She opened her eyes and her eyes met another pair of blue eyes. Seto was watching them from afar, his mark shining on his forehead. Nakago moved away from him and sputtered blood.
"Nakago?!" She embraced him into her arms, face leaning on her chest. He was breathing unevenly and she could make out the gentle almost dying beats of his heart. Then it stopped beating and his weight leaned on her without any movements. "NAKAGO!"
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A/N: Too many things happening in this this story, ne? Haha. Nakago's back while Seto and Yui are getting cozy. Now I wonder what will happen…Hmmm… I honestly don't know where this fic is headed but I hope it end up as a good one. Do drop reviews and tell me what you think!
