Nickey: SO, I'm beginning to remember these chapters a lot better now... And I don't think it's because I've edited, and re-edited this chapter a million times over XD Or maybe it is... I dunno... Either way! A few repeats this chapter, just from a different point of view. So, enjoy ladies and gents!
Fallen: We hope you guys like it – and, again, I'm sorry for not uploading this on time... a lot of distractions for me this summer, it seems! *laughs* I don't have much else to say for this chapter, other than I hope you all enjoy the read! Oh, and thank you guys so much for all of your support and kind words in your reviews. They mean a lot to the both of us! :)
DISCLAIMER: Nickey and I do not own, nor are we affiliated with Yu-Gi-Oh! nor anything pretaining to Yu-Gi-Oh! This is a fan-made story made purely for entertainment purposes, and nothing more. Enjoy!
~ Chapter XIII ~
Comrades
"GO!"
The demand echoed in my ears as we ran out of the calm and into the storm. Bullets and darts whizzed in every direction in their attempt to hit their mark (us). We were so close to freedom, so close that Os had to keep reminding himself he couldn't just fly off. I tried so hard to ignore the emotions that flowed from my Kindred as we dashed across the concrete.
Now was not the time to fret over his inner turmoil.
A black fireball shot overhead, bursting a nearby company van into flames. I tried to keep an eye on everyone as we scattered, especially the brat. Even if I wasn't addressing his inner issues now, I didn't want to leave him alone with them either. I'm sure it would prove to be trouble.
I watched as he hit the ground, deciding in that moment that the Ka responsible was dead. I spun around to meet the partially Merged worker head on. A group jumped in to back him up and Oscuridad was more than happy to rip his talons through them.
My brothers grabbed firearms from a couple of the corpses, almost getting shot in the process of figuring out how to work the damned things. It didn't take long before they were taking out the enemy. Their Ka, for some odd reason, had yet to be awakened. Maybe it was because of what happened when my Ka woke up; maybe they're too scared to accept theirs just yet.
I glanced over my shoulder in time to see Yuugi roll to the side, dodging an attack from a guard – the one he'd slashed across the face before getting dragged off – and the brute's Ka. I knew I couldn't make it to him, and no one else was watching. I continued fighting while occasionally looking in his direction.
Why wasn't he Merging with his Ka?!
The thought of punching him crossed my mind more than once. The angrier I got at him, the more people I slaughtered. I knew his Ka could take him, I'd watch him fight against the collar's effects, and now it was like... I don't even know how to describe it. It's like he didn't care anymore. We were so close to being free, though; why would he give up now?
The man landed a hit across Yuugi's face and I felt my anger explode. When I get my hands on that son of a...! A gust of wind blew the big brute away before he could deal the finishing blow. I'd never been happy to see that annoying brunette, but boy was I relieved that she saved him.
I turned around, watching as everyone began to fall back. I decided to keep the enemy back long enough for everyone to pull towards one of the vans. Slowly and steadily I moved back to group with them.
After approaching I saw... probably one of the most amusing things I'd ever seen. I'd never seen such a look on the brat's face. Then I started listening to the conversation, and understood why he'd been making such a face.
"Where the hell did you learn how to hot-wire a freaking car?!"
"Hey, I was bored! When you're stuck in a house for over ten years-" There's a shock, I thought to myself, Os silently growling his agreement. Malik hissed, cursing under his breath as he was shocked immediately after my 'shocking' thought. Oops. "-the internet is a freaking godsend."
"That still doesn't explain why you looked up how to hot-wire a fucking car!" Yuugi screeched, his voice going up a pitch at the end of his sentence.
The mirror on the opened door went flinging off in a random direction, causing us all to jump and turn around. Seto was running our way, and it wasn't looking good. He was at least a shade paler than he had been before. Wait. Who the hell is fighting off the guards?!
The crowd coming behind him was my answer, and I heard Bakura growl beside me. "Look, we don't have time for this! Just get in!"
Ryou was quick to follow the order, sliding open the back door and hopping in. We all followed his lead and piled in. I heard my Kindred hiss, but he seemed to be ignoring whatever he'd hissed about. I shut the door as Seto swung through the passenger door, the van roaring to life soon afterward. Malik had a little celebration (I suppose that's what you would call it) and slammed the driver door shut. His knuckles went white as he grabbed a hold of the wheel, his lips curling into a very scary grin.
"Alright, let's burn some rubber, bitches!" he cheered.
Oh good, he knows how to dri-
"W-Whoa, wait! When did you learn how to drive?!" My head snapped to my Kindred, eyes widening when I saw how pale he looked.
"I didn't, but better late than never!" His brother's reply had me turning as pale as Yuugi was. Oh gods, we're dead...
His foot slammed the accelerator and we were all thrown against the confines of the van. Panicked and surprised cries were heard both in and out of the van. I now knew how a dog felt when trying to stand in a moving vehicle – this guy was insane! He continually honked the horn, turning and sliding as he attempted to avoid pedestrians. "Hey, outta the road! I'm trying to drive here!"
Marik and I stumbled over, the both of us falling once again as Malik jerked the steering wheel to the side. I was feeling very sick, and my vision was looking pretty messed up. I finally managed to get back to my feet once Malik had regained complete control over the vehicle.
"You alright?"
I looked up to see Ryou, his hand on Yuugi's arm. Instead of answering, my Kindred turned his head away. Something was bothering him, and whatever it was bothered Oscuridad to the point that he manifested himself on my shoulder.
Os?
He didn't answer me, which just showed how worried he really was. "What's up?"
Yuugi glanced in my direction, not really looking at me at all, which bothered me, a lot. It pissed me off that he turned away mumbling "nothing" as if I wasn't there or talking to him. However, I felt the torture going through his mind, so I kept myself calm, placing my hand on his arm to at least try and get his attention.
I sense something in his spirit.
I looked over at Oscuridad, his muzzle close to my face as he let me know what was up. You mean his Bond?
Yeah. Something is wrong.
"Yuugi, what's wrong?" Something was seriously not right with my Kindred, and I wanted to know what it was. Why wouldn't he talk to me?!
He scoffed as he shrugged my hand away, his emotions changing ever so suddenly. He glared at the wall, looking unusually angry. "What does it matter?" He practically growled. "I'm just a fool, so far as you two are concerned."
I snapped my head towards Oscuridad at the accusation. Is he talking about us? What'd you do?!
Me?! I've been silently perched on your shoulder! I didn't do anything! He screeched, narrowing his eyes at me.
The argument probably would have continued if Malik hadn't of hit a bump and tossed us all in the air. I heard my Kindred yelp, and out of reflex I grabbed hold of the only part I could reach – his arm – and pulled him close. Unfortunately it seemed as if he had an injury, with how he swatted me away and screamed at me to "be careful!"
The guard.
That bastard had hurt my Kindred, and been the cause of his agony yet again. If I ever caught him, he was dead. Struggling came from the front and we were suddenly engulfed in light from the outside. We were finally free, awa-
Something hit the back of the van, followed by many other noises. Yuugi was quick to get to the window, rolling it down and sticking his head out. "Yuugi, be careful!" I hissed. If that idiot got hurt again, I was going to send my foot straight up his ass.
"They're tailing us!"
My eyes widened slightly at the news, but I could easily fix that. I tried to gently move him aside, which ended with me pushing him out of the way as Malik hit another bump.
Ready Os?
Hell yeah.
His figure faded from my shoulder and I could hear him preparing in the safety of our Soul. Smoke billowed from the corners of my mouth as I hung my head out the window. The dark fireball grew as I opened my mouth, preparing to fire it. Only to be cut off when my Kindred grabbed hold of my collar and yanked me back inside. I barely managed to shut my mouth to avoid blowing up the van! "What the hell are you doing?!" I snarled, my anger making it hard to keep from showing my teeth.
"Don't you get pissy with me, Mister!" He snapped at me. Mister? What the hell am I? Five? "You can't just go around breathing fire wherever you damn well please! We're driving fast enough to kill down streets filled with pedestrians here, and they'll be in the line of fire – literally."
"But-" I tried to make a valid point about us being chased. Something had to be done about that tail. But, he was letting me have no word in it.
"No, Yami!" The fire that erupted from our exchange of glares probably could've burned the whole city down. "We may have to do the kill-or-be-killed bull with Pegasus and his men, but I refuse to let any innocent bystanders pay the price for us."
This idiot was going to get us captured again, and I'll be damned if I'm going back to that place. So, with a roll of my eyes I went back to the window. Before I could reach the window though the brat shoved me, causing me to stumble back into Marik and Ryou, who seemed very attentive with the brat in my face. "Fucking listen to me, you pigheaded brat!" My eyes widened at his tone, and even Oscuridad refused to come out with the rage that filled those violet eyes. "Listen, whether I like it or not – which I don't – we are in a position where we have to hurt or kill those horrible people. And I guess I'll have to accept it. But I will not allow anyone I associate with kill unnecessarily! Whether it's an accident or not, hurting or killing anyone who isn't involved makes us just as bad as Pegasus is! So shut the hell up and listen, and find a logical solution; one that doesn't involve snapping someone's neck or burning them to a crisp; because it's either that, or so help me, I will throw you out the window."
The discussion somewhat ended there when Malik began blaring and laying on the horn, screaming at random people to get out of the way. We all turned our heads at the sound of sirens, slowly growing louder. Damn it. We can't get caught. We have to do something!
Yuugi looked at my brothers, his face seeming oddly calmer than any one else's. "Any bullets left?" My eyes narrowed as I watched him talk to them, I could almost see the gears turning in that thick head of his. "Either of you a good shot?"
Well, there went those gears... We just said we've been locked up for ten years... They almost got killed trying to figure out the damn guns... Did he think we were James Bond when we were six? I mentally facepalmed, sighing as I shook my head. I heard Os' laughter from somewhere within my soul. I saw what he imagined that looking like. I could hear the background music, and I had to hold back my laughter; now was not the time for that.
The annoying brunette stepped forward, grabbing the two pistols my brothers had stolen from the men I'd slaughtered. Her eyes were oddly cold compared to what they usually were. I watched her cautiously, Oscuridad teetering on the edge and ready to take over in case she tried to double cross us. I did owe her for saving my Kindred back at the facility, but I would not hesitate to kill her if need be. "If you can cover me, I can get these guys off our tail."
I had to blink to register what she had just said. Wait... She's going to get them off of us?
"Shit – hold on to something!" Malik suddenly yelled, jerking the wheel to the side to avoid a car that had shot into our path. Yuugi! I quickly grabbed hold of him, pulling him against me as we slammed down on our side in the van. My elbow slammed into the ground hard under him, but thanks to Oscuridad's quick thinking, I avoided breaking it.
"Damn it there's more of them!" Seto growled, gripping his seat with white knuckled hands.
"How many more?!" Bakura shouted back.
"Your guess is as good as mine!"
Great. Now what?
I looked to Yuugi, he seemed to be the only one thinking rationally. I did not see his next statement coming though. "Take out the tires."
I blinked. Did my Kindred jump off the deep end? "What?"
"Take out the tires," he repeated, a grin splitting his face in half. "Anzu! Use the ammo we have left, and aim for the tires of those cars! If they have a flat, they can't drive well; and if they can't drive well, they'll lose ground. And when we get far enough ahead-!"
"We can find a way to ditch them, and get away without being caught!" She finished for him. Great, I'm in a car with a bunch of fucking lunatics, but hey, let's all grin like escaped mental patients... That'll be helpful.. "But what about them? They've got to have guns of their own with them. Or what if they Merge with their Ka?" Well, there's some of the brains returning...
"Yami or Seto will go out there with you." I almost choked on the air I had breathed in, only to be growled and glared at by my Kindred. "For the love of – your Ka are dragons, for God's sake! The scales should be more than enough to keep you safe for a little while."
"Says you, kid," Seto barked back at him, his face set in a hard glare. "You didn't have to try and fend off two dozen of those creeps by yourself like I did! And you didn't have to use yourself as a shield like Yami!" I watched as Seto scanned over Yuugi, my possessive side coming out as my jaw clamped together. "Hell, I haven't seen you even bothering to pull your own weight around here! After what you did to Kemo, I'd expect more of a backbone from you!"
I watched Yuugi wince from the statement, I held back the snarl but tightened my grip on him while sending a glare at Seto. "Watch it, Kaiba, you're talking to my Kindred here!" I growled.
"Well if he's so eager to toss us into the line of fire, why shouldn't he make some kind of sacrifice instead? It's his fucking idea!" Seto knew my temper was a dangerous thing to toy with, so of course he'd try to twist it with some kind of reasoning so he could get away with pushing my buttons.
"I'd love to, but I can't," Yuugi sighed.
Can't?
I told you I sensed something. Something isn't right in his Bond. It's like his Ka is no longer responding.
My eyes narrowed slightly. Just what the hell happened between them?
"Well why the hell not? Look, I saw you almost get burnt to a crisp back in that garage! If it weren't for Mazaki, you'd either be dead or locked back up in that place. Why didn't you just Merge with your Ka? Are you too scared to do it? Does it go against your goodie-two-shoes morals? Wake up and smell the roses, shrimp – we're wanted fugitives now, and will be so long as those psychopaths are still breathing!"
He was really pushing his luck talking to my Kindred like that. Oscuridad's chest rumbled with a low growl, a warning towards the brunette to shut the fuck up.
"No, that's not it, I-!"
"Then what is it? I'm not going to risk my hide for some dead weight!"
"Kaiba, shut the hell up!" I finally snapped, holding Oscuridad back until it was necessary.
Yuugi reached up, his hand gripping the fabric over his chest where his heart lay. I held back a wince at the pain that throbbed through me. "I just can't Kaiba, okay? Now can we stop arguing, before we're either shot or arrested?!"
"Just Merge with your Ka, then! If you're so willing to toss others into harm's way-"
"I can't!"
"Why can't you?!"
"My Ka isn't here right now!" My head snapped back to my Kindred as he took a stance with one hand against the inner wall of the van. "Arceus cut himself off from me, and he isn't fucking here, okay?! So I can't do a goddamn thing to help unless you want a corpse to throw at their windshield!" I watched with wide eyes as Yuugi stormed over to Seto, and actually got in his face. His finger poked into the brunette's chest. "I'll make it up when I can, but right now I don't feel like dying or being thrown back in a room for the rest of my life; and, unless we're all fine-and-dandy with her getting a bullet between the eyes the moment she shows her face, I don't want Anzu to go up there without some kind of backup! So unless you want that to happen to everyone in here, will you please just shut the hell up and do what I tell you to!"
He whipped around towards me, and I couldn't look away. Apparently, his anger wasn't anything to be trifled with either... "Kaiba will cover you and Oscuridad while you keep Anzu safe." He said, turning back around to face Seto before he continued. "If anyone tries to sneak up on him from behind, I want you to light them up like a firework gone wrong. But do not attack the police officers. They're just doing their job to keep a couple cars full of lunatics from hurting or killing any Domino citizens. We'll stick to taking out the tires with them. Anything else goes with Pegasus and his goons. Use your claws to dig into the metal of the roof and keep your balance. Got it?"
I couldn't do anything but blink. He'd come up with a plan, and everything, but his Ka had cut himself off? You mean the weeks they'd spent separate hadn't been enough?! What the hell was wrong with him?
We can worry about it later, Yami. Yuugi's right, we have other issues at hand.
Right.
"Some time today would be very much appreciated, thank you!" My Kindred practically growled, pulling me from my own thoughts.
Lets do it Os.
You've got it, he chuckled, his scales running up my arms as he took control once again. Ryou opened the door as I fell forward, eyes closing while my body began to shift. When I opened them once again Oscuridad had limited his growth to fit inside the van, leaving just enough room to not crush anyone. He looked towards the brunette as he stepped up to the door, jerking his head and telling her to "hop on."
She quickly climbed on, holding on tight as Os opened his wings, spinning out away from the van but looping upwards to latch his talons into the roof. Seto was quick to join us, completing his Merge as he reached the roof. The wind whipped around us, and Oscuridad blocked oncoming bullets with his wings as Anzu sat up, one eye closing as she aimed for the vehicles behind us.
The van was jerked to the side and Oscuridad flicked his tail to keep his balance, Cerberus was having a bit more difficulty with his bigger body. What the hell is going on inside that van? Do they not think dodging bullets was enough of a challenge?
"Hard left!" Yuugi screamed out the window, allowing us to at least ground ourselves before we were slung around. Different types of vehicles were following us, five with sirens and lights, while four others were just chasing us to capture us once again. Anzu fired, busting the tire of the cruiser out in front. Oscuridad decided it was time to help take them out, and whipped his tail forward, letting a couple spikes go and catching the front tires of the next vehicle. Our wing folded up to shield the brunette when both a goon and a police officer pulled out their guns and shot. I heard Seto give a bellow before he leaped off the van, causing the vehicle he landed on to swerve away.
These goddamn cruisers were still in my damn way! I wanted to break those black cars into tiny pieces. A flick of the tail finally gave me what I'd been waiting for. My face split with a grin. Let's go, Os.
Don't have to tell me twice! he replied with a chuckle.
I felt the brunette slip from my back just before I began lowering myself. These guys were going to pay for everything they'd done. Oscuridad pushed himself forward, diving recklessly at the three remaining vehicles. One swerved to avoid us, only to meet a really tall building and go up in a ball of flames. The other two were forced to topple around on the asphalt with us.
I watched as Seto flew low to the ground as he tried to catch up to our escape van. Oscuridad smashed his talons down, frightening the men in one car as he barely pushed in the ceiling. He loved to toy with people when he was angry with them. He pressed down a little harder before deciding to stop toying with them. He smashed the roof of the car in, not leaving anything but a giant blood stain, which was soon 'washed' away with a fireball.
The other car was crushed under our front foot as we turned to walk away, not giving the men time to react at all.
Our wings spread, picking up on the direction of the wind as we jumped into the air, spinning to follow after the van. The roof groaned under our weight once we landed, Oscuridad releasing his control back to me as I grabbed hold of the luggage rack and swung back inside, the door closing behind me.
I was met with a strong embrace, which caught me off guard. I hadn't been shown any kind of attention like this since I was six. What the hell was I supposed to do? So, I just stood there, my arms out to my sides, allowing him to hold on as long as he needed to.
He finally looked up at me, his eyes glistening with worry. "Are you okay?"
I blinked a few times before I was able to register what he'd said, to which I answered with a nod.
"Good," he chirped happily, which did not give me any warning to his next action. He snatched hold of my ear, pulling me down to eye level, and causing me to yelp at the pressure that was put on my ear. "What the hell were you thinking, you idiot?! You almost killed Anzu with that stunt back there! Next time make sure any allies are inside the van before you decide to take a flying leap!"
"Alright, alright, Jesus, I'm sorry! Fucking let go!"
He barked a "thank you!", which sounded a lot like it held a secret threat. Probably a promise to kick my ass later.
I rubbed my ear as I stood up straight with a "you're welcome!", letting him know I'd gladly return the favor.
"Dick."
"Brat."
"And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what love is like." My older brother chuckled from the front seat.
"Shut the hell up, Marik" Malik growled, focusing on the road in front of him.
"Yes, Malik." We're just getting told off left and right...
I heard Bakura whisper "whipped" before a hard glare from Ryou sent him clamping his mouth shut with a grin.
Yuugi leaned back, a chuckle escaping his lips which was soon echoed by everyone but my brothers and myself. Not that I didn't like the sound from him, but just what the hell was so funny? I sighed, shaking my head with a smile of my own. So much built up and stored tension, and anger, and need-to-survive attitude, just fell away. Well, a little bit of it, not all. We still weren't safe.
I looked up and noticed where we were. Everything looked so aged, and charred, or just broken. Os? Did we do this?
I'm afraid so, Yami. Or at least, some of it... The rest has worn from age and lack of care.
I could do nothing but stare. I didn't even remember any of it. But... Somehow I knew, I was the one responsible for these buildings looking the way they did. The one that turned the sidewalks and streets to rubble. I had caused all of this...
I still wasn't sure if the others were still alive or not. I knew one of them were still alive, thanks to Seto secretly giving us messages from her. But as for the others... I didn't know how many of them survived our apocalyptic attack on Old Domino. Oscuridad appeared on my shoulder once again, sensing my own inner turmoil this time. Yami, Pegasus caused all this.
It was my hands that did it though... Maybe if I would've ran with my brothers, they would've chased us, and she would still be here...
He opened his mouth and bit down on my ear. "Ow!"
You can't keep blaming yourself for what happened. Stop worrying about the what-ifs and the would've-beens. You need to focus on the path ahead of yo-
"Don't you fucking dare" Yuugi hissed, causing us both to turn and look at him. I realized that everyone was staring at him, and held back a chuckle when his face went red. "It's nothing," he mumbled, seemingly back to normal.
Well, that was odd.
No, his Ka has come back. Oscuridad informed me, and I looked back over to him. With the side he was sitting on, I could see out the windshield, where a turn was coming up. But... we weren't turning...
"Crap, Malik, watch the freaking road!" Yuugi screamed, before I was able to say anything.
The brakes squealed as Malik slammed the pedal. "Shit!"
We were dead... There was no way we were going to survive being wrapped around a lamp post. The van jerked to the side, and we were all thrown off our feet.
Oh gods, we're going to die!
Just as the thought entered my mind, I closed my eyes and I realized that this was the end. It was all over. Our escape, now it was all pointless, we were just going to die anyways. But, I guess that's how fate really works... I suddenly felt like a warm blanket had been wrapped around me. Great, now I was dying... Well, that was surprisingly painless...
I heard the smash before I opened my eyes.
W-We're not dead?!
I heard Oscuridad groan, though he was uninjured, just shaken up a bit. I-I think we're okay...
Think?
Yeah... I might be motion sick for a bit... I heard him grunt as if holding back bile, before I left him laying there to compose himself. When I opened my eyes Yuugi, Seto, and Ryou had climbed out and Ryou was screaming something as he ran forward, but the others still lay around me, either unconscious or just beginning to get up. I noticed something shimmering in the direction Ryou was screaming. Just what the hell had happened?
Yami! Something is wrong! Yuugi is weak! Very weak!
"What?!"
I quickly scrambled out of the wreckage, helping everyone else once I saw that Ryou and Seto were taking care of Yuugi. Once everyone was out I made my way over, listening to the conversation as I approached. "So you don't have any other experience, besides that?" It was quiet for a moment, so I guessed Yuugi was answering him with a nod or shake of his head. "Then why the hell would you cast a spell like that?! You could have fucking killed yourself!"
I was close enough now to see Yuugi's hands shakily go up to cover his ears from Seto's shouting. He wasn't looking too good, and his skin was pale. "Kaiba, what do you think you're doing?" I almost growled, not very happy with how he was talking to my Kindred. Seto moved to the side enough for me to see Yuugi's face, and I felt myself go pale. "Sh-Shit – Yuugi, are you crying blood?!" Panic shot through me; what the hell had happened?!
Seto leaned in close to examine him, and I felt Yuugi's discomfort more than I saw it. Seto was close enough that he was about to be rewarded with a kick to the side of the head.
"Looks like it's stopped... might've just been one tear, from when his Ka was still manifested." (So that's what that shimmering was) He sighed as he sat back. He turned back towards me before continuing. "Your boyfriend decided to cast an expert-level protection spell to keep us all safe during the crash. Granted, we probably wouldn't be walking away from this if he hadn't, but the idiot hasn't had any practice with his casting beforehand. So his body is going through an overload from using too much magic."
I looked over to Yuugi with a questioning look as he busted into a fit of giggles. His hand smacked over his mouth to try and stop them, but he just couldn't stop, for some odd reason.
"Don't worry," Seto said, earning my attention once again. "It makes you kind of loopy at first. At least when it's at this degree. As long as he doesn't start bleeding from the eyes again, or the ears, he should be alright."
There was a moment's pause, before my Kindred decided to break it. "I'm... Leggo, Ryou," Yuugi attempted to speak properly, but looked more than a little intoxicated. This was bad – we couldn't afford for him to be all fucked up at a time like this! "'M fine, 'kay? Jus'... 'm jus' fine."
Ryou let go as Yuugi wished him to do, and he flopped over to one side before even making an attempt to get up. He rolled his eyes up to look at me, and I wasn't even sure what was going on anymore. All I knew was that Yuugi had saved us, but almost killed himself in the process. I didn't know if I wanted to punch him for being stupid, or kiss him for saving our lives. I decided to go with Plan C, and just wait until later to decide. "I... I think tha' I broke my brain..." He said, bringing me from my thoughts before he broke out into laughter again. "I. Am. Broken!"
I heard snickering. "'Ey!" He suddenly yelled, causing me start a little until I saw the finger pointed towards my brothers. They were completely frozen, probably scared of what was to come. "...you shuddup."
The brat managed to sit up finally, only to have blood start dripping from his nose, which he wiped away with his sleeve. Malik crouched down to take care of the bloody nose. "Wha...?"
"How long is he going to be like... this?" The younger one questioned as Yuugi began to giggle once again.
I looked over to Seto who shrugged "Anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Just be glad he's acting like this. If he fell asleep, he wouldn't have woken up. And if he was pissed, we'd all be blown sky high by his leftover magic by now."
My eyes widened a bit, as I looked back to my Kindred. "Is he like... so tired he's drunk, or something?" Bakura asked.
"Not exactly; the overload affects someone's physical abilities – like being able to control laughter, keep from crying, walking normally, their sense of balance, speech, etcetera – but their mental processes usually remain intact."
Malik had let go of Yuugi's nose, the bleeding stopping for the time being.
"So..." Ryou piped up, "He's completely aware of what's going on right now? And he just... can't control it?"
"Eeeyup!" Yuugi answered, his comment coming out like more of a hiccup. He swayed to the side, and his brothers managed to save him from hitting the ground once again. The other brunette of the group snapped her fingers, earning everyone's attention as she grabbed Yuugi's focus.
"Does your head hurt?" she asked, and Yuugi nodded his head, all his attention on her. "Feel numb anywhere?" He shook his head in denial. "Do you think you can stand?"
"Maybe...?"
Ryou and Malik carefully helped him up, but he was still a lot like a newborn foal, one that was just learning how to walk. I kept on my guard, catching him as his knees buckled, helping him back to his feet. He was finally able to stand, though he was still a little wobbly. Anzu went on to explain that Yuugi and his Ka – Arceus – weren't able to Merge for the time being, that included partially. "And make sure," she said, turning to face the three of us – Malik, Ryou, and myself. "that if he needs help walking, or anything like that, you don't carry him unless it's a last resort. The movement should help clear up his head a little bit and get everything back into order a little faster. So try to not baby him too much."
Sirens caught everyone's attention, and we realized it was time to move again.
"C'mon, I know a place we can lay low at until the heat dies down."
Everyone began to walk, and as I turned around I was met with arms around my waist from a stumbling Yuugi. The way he looked at me, I knew he was trying his best to do it on his own, but he was still disoriented. "Help me? Please?"
I softened, only for him, wrapping my arm around his waist as we continued to walk away. We would be running for the rest of our lives, unless Pegasus was killed and the organization shut down. But, we had each other, and we were free once again. I wouldn't allow them to take my Kindred away – they would have to kill me to separate us, and I knew Yuugi felt the same way.
The sirens continued to grow gradually louder. We weren't going to be able to keep walking, we were going to have to run. "Seto, we can't keep walking," I yelled.
"We have a disoriented moron with us-"
"Hey!"
"Don't worry about Yuugi, I'll handle him."
Yuugi pouted at me. "Really? No disagreements with his statement?" he grumbled, sulking a little.
"I'll correct him later. We need to get moving."
I kept my arm around his waist as we began running, putting my other hand out in front to stop him from falling every time he would stumble. We ran a good three blocks before I realized just how much energy was draining from me by keeping him upright. I had to stop. I couldn't breathe anymore.
"Yami?!" Yuugi yelped, barely managing to stop himself on my back as I bent down, my hands on my knees in an attempt to breathe regularly. Unfortunately I wasn't able to support both our weights, because we both tumbled to the ground in a panting heap. My legs were shaking, and I was covered in sweat, so was Yuugi, which made the dog pile so much more uncomfortable.
"Ugh... Yuugi... It's too hot..."
"Sorry, I fell..."
"How are you feeling?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at him.
He stared at me for a minute, seemingly lost in thought before giving me his answer. "Besides feeling too hot, I'm okay. I feel a lot better."
"Well, do you think you'll be able to walk on your own?"
"Y-Yeah. I should be okay."
"You two alright?" Seto asked, jogging back over to us.
"Yeah, just tripped into each other."
We both managed to make it to our feet, before running along with everyone again. We continued to twist and turn down back roads, hearts pounding (well, those of us with hearts), feet thumping as they hit the broken pavement. We ran so far, so fast, that it caught up to us all at once when the adrenaline faded. Seto faltered after a while.
"O-Ok..ay.. We... We gotta stop," Seto panted.
"Agreed," Malik groaned, falling on his back in a pile, while Ryou fell on top of him.
"I'm with them," Marik groaned, he and Bakura collapsing to the side. Seto and Anzu took a seat on a pile of bricks that had fallen from the top of a nearby building.
I stood hunched over, panting from the run that we'd done. We all stayed that way for a while, just trying to catch up with what our adrenaline had provided us with. I straightened my back once I caught my breath, and it was then that something hit me. "Where the hell is Yuugi?"
Everyone looked at me, before glancing over our surroundings. "Where did he go?" Bakura asked, whipping his head back and forth.
"Wasn't he just right here?" Malik chimed in, seemingly surprised that his brother just vanished into thin air.
Os? You think you can track him like you did back in the facility?
I can try. There are a lot more scents out here than there were in there. But, I'll do my best.
That's all I ask of you.
Oscuridad manifested taking on the size of a small dog with is muzzle pressed to the ground. He lifted his head, turning it side to side as he sniffed, everyone else watching (well, to them he probably just looked like a cloud) as he attempted to track down our Kindred. He kept stopping every few steps or so, the other scents around him making it difficult to single out Yuugi's in the mix. He suddenly halted in front of me, causing me to topple over him. "Ouch! What's the big id-"
I stopped mid-sentence when I saw his pupils shrink, his eyes lighting with a violent rage as his muzzle rippled back to show off his dagger-sharp teeth. His apparition faded, and he took over my hands and feet, his horns piercing from my skull and his tail flicking out behind me. Before I could ask, he told me what was wrong, and I allowed him to lead the way.
Yuugi is in danger. Something is attacking him.
My left eye changed, the pupil elongating to that of a very narrow diamond before he launched us forward. We ran quite a ways away from the others before I spotted Yuugi ahead. He was injured and laying on his side, his attacker was posed to strike again.
"Get your fucking hands off of him!" Oscuridad roared, tackling the person to the ground. A punch to the eye and jaw sent him stumbling back. But Oscuridad didn't think that was enough, so he slashed at the man, leaving claw marks on his cheek.
"Alright! I give!"
"Yami! Don't kill him!" Seto yelled as he came up behind me.
"Yami?"
I cleared my head, eying the attacker suspiciously before the accent brought back a memory. "Jou? What the hell did you attack my Kindred for?!"
"Sorry! He startled me! A-And I didn't know he was with you!" He said, throwing his hands up in surrender.
"Then why don't you grow a pair, and ask!" I growled, returning to my Kindred.
I lifted Yuugi by his upper arms, hoping not to jostle any injuries he may have acquired. A set of claws injected themselves into my upper arms and I held back a scream. "It hurts. It hurts! Yami, it hurts!"
I tried to search for the source of his pain, sending my own calming mental waves to him. The talons slowly pulled themselves from my arms as I soothed him. I spotted blood pooling down and around his leg, following it up to the weapon that had caused all the harm. I pulled his face against my chest to get a better angle so I could pull it out. "Sorry," I whispered before quickly ripping the metal from his leg.
He whimpered quietly in my arms, and I knew it hurt him. It'd been in there pretty deep! I ripped off my right sleeve, tying it around his leg to stop, or at least slow, the bleeding so we could make it to our destination. I carefully picked him up, holding back a shiver when I felt my own blood leaking from the tiny holes in my arms. Oscuridad appeared on my shoulder, watching over Yuugi as I carried him.
"It's okay, we're gonna get you home."
He sighed, seeming content as he leaned his head against my chest, letting his eyes droop shut as we walked onward.
He seems very comfortable in your arms.
No offense, but I'd rather not carry him. It's never good when I have to carry him. Just like now; he's injured and we're on the run. We don't have time for him to keep getting injured.
You keep up the 'I don't want to get close' act, but I can see it in your face, too. Also, we're soul partners, I know exactly what you're feeling. And right now, you're loving the feel of him in your arms.
Sh-Shut up!
My Ka disappeared with a chuckle, knowing he'd gotten me there. Damn brat, always getting me in deeper than I wanna be.
I looked down at his sleeping face as we continued walking, feeling my features soften as I watched him. His lips were parted slightly, allowing his breath to flow out evenly and quietly with a little 'huff' every so often. He had washed the blood from his features, so his pale skin was shining. His hair was a little messy from the scuffle with Jou, but the golden locks still framed his face, and his violet-tipped, ebony tresses spiked up, just as they were supposed to. No one would dare change his appearance; I wouldn't let them like they had mine.
Violet eyes lay motionless behind closed lids, and Oscuridad was right, he seemed to be in complete bliss laying in my arms. Totally worth all the trouble, to just hold you like this, I thought to myself, resisting the urge to squeeze him even closer, out of fear of waking him. Rest well, Yuugi.
We walked for who knows how long before we came upon a house that sat out in the middle of – literally – nowhere. Nothing but a bunch of half-torn-down houses and rubble. The only thing that stood out was a slightly-less-worn-down house, which we were standing in front of. It didn't look like much – the paint on the door was chipped, and the only window out front had a lot of cracks in it. "Where are we?"
"Well, this is our Healer's house. But she probably won't be here until morning," Seto informed us. "She went down to check on everyone, so you guys will have to deal with basic first aid until she comes back."
"That's fine. I'm only worried about Yuugi at this point. I don't think any of us others are really too bad."
"Yami," Ryou said, earning my attention. "Y-You're bleeding..."
"Oh, yeah, Yuugi got me. But it's fine."
"N-No. N-Not your arms... Your chest has blood on it..."
He looked ridiculously paler than I'd thought he originally was. As I looked down, I figured out why. One of the gashes on my chest had opened back up in our escape, and now, not only did I have blood on me, but I had gotten blood on Yuugi, too. Although, I hadn't felt it reopen, nor I had I felt the stitch rip away.
Even I didn't feel that one...
"Hm... I didn't even feel it rip open..."
"With all the adrenaline that was pumping through all of us, I'm not surprised. We were running for our lives, so a stitch tearing away wasn't one of your worries."
"Ya guys look terrible... Jus' what th' hell happened?"
"We escaped Hell, that's what happened. Let's just get inside and get cleaned up. I need to get this blood off Yuugi, or he'll have a fit when he wakes up."
Seto lead the way into the house, the rest of us following along behind him. The room opened up to the front and right of us, and it looked bigger on the inside than it did out. There was a some kind of half-wall that a couch was lined against, splitting the space between a living room, and a dining room/kitchen area. There was a hallway directly across from that banister on the left. "There's a bathroom and some bedrooms over there-" he pointed towards the hallway "-where you can lay him down." He paused, motioning at me before continuing. "The kitchen's back there, but there probably isn't much in it; she lives here alone, so most of the food she gets is taken to the others. And here's the living room, so you can go sit and relax. I'll bring out some clothes that she has to offer, and if you need to wash, there's a shower. I recommend getting your open wounds cleaned before they get infected."
I ignored him as I carried Yuugi into the first bedroom, about a quarter way down the hall, and set him on the bed. He seemed reluctant to let go of me, which I found both cute, and awkward. It was like trying to pry a child from your waist without waking them. A lot like I used to be with... I stopped my thoughts short. I wasn't going to get into that right now. I knew Oscuridad was listening, as his growl rumbled through my head.
I'm fine.
So you say...
He let it drop at that, knowing that arguing about it wouldn't make it better. You should go clean up. Seto is right, you could get an infection.
I'll take care of myself later. Yuugi has a cut too, and I want to make sure he's alright.
Before I went to mending his wound, I had his brothers change him from the jumpsuit into new boxers and a long shirt. I wasn't too sure he'd appreciate me being the one to change him, so I made them do it. Once they were done we got his wound cleaned and wrapped – with some help from Anzu – as best we could. We didn't have any sterilized needles – or any needles at all, for that matter – to stitch it up, so we did our best to stop the bleeding without cutting off circulation. It would suffice until the Healer got there in the morning. I would make sure he survived until then.
"You should take care of yourself now. Yuugi won't be too happy if he wakes up and you're covered in blood," the brunette said softly, staring absently at the white sheets on the bed. She turned her head, focusing her turquoise eyes on me. "I'll help bandage up those arms of yours, too. I bet it burns, even though you didn't bother to make any noise when he did it."
"He didn't mean to. Besides, I've felt worse..."
"So I've heard..." She sighed quietly before she got up and left the room, leaving me to sit there. I sat in the middle on the edge of the bed, watching as Yuugi slept on. I know I needed to go clean up, but I didn't want to leave him alone.
"I'll watch him for ya."
I turned to see Bakura standing in the doorway. He had changed into a striped navy blue and white, short sleeve shirt with a long black coat over top, the collar standing up to hide his neck. He wore light blue jeans, and white tennis shoes, his hair seemingly neater, however still spiking out like it always had. "You need to clean up and be taken care of. I'm sure it's not very clean where the others are. So, I'll watch Yuugi. Don't worry, Ryou will sit here with me so one of us can come get you if anything goes wrong."
"Thanks, 'Kura."
"Not a problem. Now, go clean up."
I chuckled as I walked past him, brushing by Ryou as I headed for the bathroom. "Hey!" I heard my oldest brother shout, causing me to turn around. Marik stood a few feet off, and had yet to change. "Here, I thought these would fit you. And I'm sure you'll wanna hide most of those scars, at least to avoid too many questions."
I caught the clothes he threw at me with a smile "It's almost like you're my brother or something..."
"Shut up stupid, and go shower."
I laughed as I closed the door, setting down the pile of stuff Marik had tossed me. I noticed a belt-like collar with it, reminding me that we were still wearing the damned things. Hey Os, think you can get this thing off now?
I can try. But no promises. I don't want those spikes pressing too far into your neck..
As long as you try it.
He took over my hands, his talons carefully squeezing between my neck and the collar. He began to count to three from one, and with a snap of his wrist, and a clench of his hands, the collar snapped off. The spikes barely had time to press against my neck before it snapped in half, falling to floor. There you go.
Thanks, Os.
I came out of the bathroom after getting cleaned up, leaving the long sleeve shirt off so my arms and chest could be wrapped up. Once I was done with being bandaged I pulled the shirt over my head. It was a brown, long sleeve v-neck shirt, dipping down low enough to show off a little bit of my chest, but high enough that it didn't reveal the bandages around my body. I had rolled the sleeves up on it, so they stopped at my elbows and not my wrists. The jeans I wore were dark blue, faded with a bit of a dirty tint to them. They had a hand-made hole in the knee, and the bottoms were a bit frayed, strings hanging down over the black boots I was wearing. A new collar was around my neck, this one was black with silver studs on it, hiding the scars from where the spikes had attempted to press into my neck.
Yuugi still had yet to wake up, so I grabbed a chair, turned it backwards, and sat by his bedside, waiting for him to open his eyes. I didn't know how much time passed, but the sun had gone down a while ago, and I was starting to feel the day's events take their toll on me. I nodded off in the chair, my arms wrapped around the back of it, supporting my head, and my feet keeping me from falling forward as I drifted off.
I woke up to the sun peeking through the curtains, and cerulean eyes looking at me curiously. I jerked back, slightly spooked by the woman in my face. It'd been a while since I'd last seen her, but I recognized who she was. "I-Ishizu? You startled me."
"Sorry. I was in the middle of looking you over. I thought you would stay asleep like your Kindred did."
"Oh..." I answered dumbly. I stretched from the chair once she was done looking me over. We both exited the bedroom and walked out to stand with everyone else. Or, well, mostly everyone. It seemed our lighter counterparts were still sleeping peacefully.
Ishizu pulled out a homemade first aid kit, which had a small container of needles in it, a lighter, some thick stitching thread, a bunch of ointments, band-aids, and gauze wraps. She burnt a needle before making me sit down, sterilizing it in a bowl that had some kind of liquid in it (still not sure what it was). I laid back enough so she could see what she was doing, watching her as she cut away the old gauze wrap and began her work. Her stitching work was a lot neater than the facility worker's messy clean up, which seemed to bother her, if the furrowing of her brows was anything to go by.
"I see they didn't take very good care of you," she hissed, the needle going back under my skin as she continued to work. "I'm surprised you're as calm as you are, Yami."
"I've suffered a lot worse, Ishizu."
"I can tell. I saw the scars, scratches, and bruises." She made a face that I couldn't tell if it was angry, or disgusted. Maybe a mixture of the two.
"It wasn't exactly a vacation or anything, in there."
"I'm well aware. I see the others aren't as bad as you though."
"That's because Pegasus managed to get a hold of me before we were able to escape. If not for Yuugi nearly killing Kemo, I wouldn't be here."
I heard Jou gulp, and looked over to see his visage go pale. "Something wrong, Jou?"
"U-Uh... Um... N-No.. N-Not at all... Um... You don't think he'll come after me again, right?"
"Who knows, now that he's healed," I teased, pulling my shirt back over my head. The blonde's face had bruises on the eye and cheek, his lip was busted open and had dried blood on it. Along with some lovely little marks from my Kindred, and my own claw marks on his other cheek. Was slicing open his cheek necessary, Os?
Absolutely he answered, unashamed of hurting a comrade. He'll learn in time not to touch our Kindred. The result, will leave him hurting for weeks to come.
Figured you'd say something like that. I chuckled, walking around him and towards the back of the room where the closet was. I figured I'd pull out some clothes that I thought would fit the brat and take them into the room for him to have when he got up.
On my way back into the room the door slammed open, and I was run into, barely able to balance myself, let alone the one who'd charged me. "Whoooaaa," I chuckled, grabbing a hold of Yuugi's forearms to balance us both. I saw how angry he looked, and noticed his sights were set on Jou – who was hiding behind Seto out of fear. Otherwise, the two would be at each other's throats. "Jou is friend, not foe," I told him, attempting to calm him.
"He has a funny way of showing it! He attacked me!" He snarled, promising to rip Jou apart if he ever got his hands on him.
"And he has paid dearly for that," I said, my voice low as I looked him in the eyes.
His eyes widened for a fraction of a moment before he actually took a good look at Jou. He seemed to have noticed all the marks on him. "You didn't think the black eye and busted lip was enough?" He asked with a smirk.
"Oscuridad didn't seem to think so." I chuckled, turning my head back towards him. "How's your leg?"
"Better. What happened?"
"Ishizu happened," I told him pointing towards the corner where his youngest brother was squeezing the Egyptian, crying his eyes out.
"Oh..." I remembered why I'd been heading this way in the first place. I bent down to pick up the clothes I'd dropped, secretly looking him over as I lowered myself. His legs looked soft to the touch, and his feet were adorable. Yeah, feet can be adorable, that or some of Yuugi's broken-ness wore off on me. "I brought these for you to try on. I figured that you'd want a little more to cover yourself with."
I couldn't help my eyebrows going up and the smirk that crossed my face at the comment. But the look on his face, and the color of red he turned, was well worth embarrassing him. He let out a squeak before he snatched the clothes and ran for cover back in the bedroom.
I walked out of the house, stopping on the porch to sit while I waited for the others. Oscuridad popped up next to me, keeping me company while we waited. The sun was still pretty low, just coming up to start a new day. A free day. One where I didn't have to worry about my brothers or my Kindred being taken away from me to be tortured.
Someone stepped out on the porch, and it wasn't until they sat down next to me that I saw it was Yuugi. "You seem pretty distant. What's on your mind?"
I stared at him for what felt like forever, before I sighed, looking down at the ground. I had been such a jerk to him, and in return, he'd saved my life. He'd given me freedom, and I had done nothing in return. "I'm sorry," I told him, feeling utterly guilty, and like complete crap.
"Huh?"
I couldn't look at him, I honestly didn't feel like I deserved to. "I'm sorry... For everything..."
I finally looked over when his hand touched my arm, looking up to meet a smiling face. "Being sorry gets you nowhere in this world. So stop being sorry."
I smiled, despite the circumstances. I couldn't help it, his smart ass mouth, and sassy attitude, they always managed to take me by surprise. Even though right now, he was being none of those things. He seemed very sincere in his words, and just genuinely happy to be here, or happy for some odd reason. I chuckled lightly. "I'm gonna punch your smart ass in the mouth... With my mouth... But softly... Because I like you..."
Not only was my face hot, but his warmed up pretty quickly too, before he shoved me lightly. "Idiot," he chuckled, rolling his eyes playfully as the others came out of the house.
"Ready to move?" someone asked.
We exchanged looks, silently agreeing that it was time to get going. "Yeah, let's go," I answered.
Nickey: So anyway, there's the end of that... We're finally getting into some puzzle loves ^w^ Fallen's laptop has been on the fritz, but I'll do my best to help her fix that... In the mean time, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter... it's been re-edited a million and five times (I don't mean that to be literal, but it just might be) and we'll see ya next time with Fallen's chapter. Until next time everyone! * waves * Goodbye!
Fallen: Yup. As Nickey said, laptop on the fritz (it's got one computer-foot in the grave and another on a banana peel), plus this summer has been... much busier than expected. A lot of trips for me, so far. *laughs* But I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, despite the fact that I posted it really late... sorry again.
Oh! And a smidge of shameless self-promotion, if I may: I am re-vamping another, much older story of mine, called Shattered! I'll be posting the updated versions of chapters I've already written, as well as the first new chapter this story's had in the better part of two years. I'd be immensely grateful if you guys would give it a quick glance once I update everything :) It'll be sometime during July 1st, and I hope to try and do either bi-weekly or monthly updates for it.
Anyways, that's all. See you guys n' gals in the next chapter! Stay safe! :D