Yami wondered how many of the ones chasing him really believed he was a devil.

With the light of the torches drawing closer, and their curses loud in his ears, he was ready to bet all of them did. He poured on the speed, feeling the stone pounding beneath his boots.

The road was turning to dirt, but not fast enough. The houses loomed over him like vultures, waiting for him to be caught and killed. The windows glinted like so many eyes.

Was anywhere he could go different from where he was?

He knew the answer to that question, but kept running. Anything had to be better than giving in.

Although, was it really?

Or was he just prolonging his pain?

He couldn't quite bring himself to stop and accept his fate. He remembered some of the men holding pitchforks, and put on a burst of speed.

In that moment, Yami felt his foot twist, and he fell. Scrabbling at the ground with pure panic, he risked a glance behind him. The townspeople were too close. He was going to -

He bolted upright, panting, then sighed as he remembered where he was. Rearranging his blankets, he slipped on his cloak and stepped outside his tent.

At night, the forest was interesting. Darkness dominated most of his vision, vague shapes and slices of moonlight defining his surroundings. The air was cool, as always, but still beneath the shelter of the trees. The rustle of the branches, the movements of animals, and the whisper of spirits filled the air.

Yami blinked slowly, his eyes taking on the barest sheen of red. He didn't like waking up in the middle of the night, since he needed all the sleep he could get.

However, he realized that Yugi was nowhere to be found.

Gritting his teeth with frustration, he checked his partner's tent. It was empty, and a quick sweep around the campsite confirmed Yugi was nowhere near. However, Mystic was missing, which meant Yugi had needed to leave for some reason…

Or he'd run off.

Yami shook the thought away. His partner wouldn't leave like that. And if he had, he would've brought his money and belongings with him. Instead, Yami sat down and decided to give Yugi half an hour. If the boy wasn't back by then, he would go looking for him.

He rummaged through his things, clipping the holsters of his guns to his belt. Taking one out, he started disassembling it, setting the various pieces in a small array before him. Taking out a small rag, he started wiping away the grit and grime, rubbing down the handle, and cleaning out the chambers.

Cleaning wasn't much fun. Yami supposed he could do something else useful. He didn't much feel like it though. Yami reassembled his gun and started on the other one.

Once he was done, Yami guessed that almost half an hour had passed.

He toyed with the idea of waiting longer, but caught sight of a glimmer of light. Then Yugi flickered into sight just a few feet away, ragged and panting. He held the reins to Mystic, the mare's sides heaving for breath. He saw Yami and said anxiously, "Bandits. Town. Heard screams… they're being ransacked…."

Yugi paused to catch his breath, but Yami got the message. He stood, beginning to pack everything up. "We need to leave now, then," he gathered, and Yugi nodded frantically.

"Here." Yami tossed a bottle of water towards his partner, who grabbed it and started drinking quickly.

Yami quickly finished his own things and moved on to Yugi's, the younger shooting him a grateful look. After everything was tied to the saddlebags, and Yugi and Mystic finally caught their breaths, Yami questioned, "What happened to the townspeople?"

"Mostly dead. Some are being taken as slaves," Yugi said. "The bandits seem like a large gang. They overpowered the town pretty easily."

They swung into their saddles and plunged into the woods, heading away from the town. Yami wondered briefly if the bandits were just looking for riches or if there was another conquering happening.

No way, he thought to himself.

Yugi leaned over and grabbed Magician's reins. "Wait," Yami said, alarmed. But their surroundings blurred and melted, changing into an entirely different area.

Yami yanked the leather out of Yugi's hands none too gently. "Stop that!" he scolded, keeping Magician steady. "You already look exhausted. We're not in any rush, right?"

"Ah. Well," Yugi said, his expression darkening.

With a groan, Yami pressed his face into Magician's mane. "Please don't tell me you were seen," he mumbled.

Somehow, Yugi heard him. "I'm not going to tell you I was seen," he said, looking straight ahead. "However, they looked at me, and raised their spears and yelled. Very angrily."

Yami raised his head. "My point stands, don't do that for now. We can't afford to have you falling off your horse."

"I'll be back on in a second."

"Not funny."

"I'm not joking," Yugi said, laughing despite his words. However, Yami noticed he didn't reach for Magician's reins again, and he was grateful.

They galloped in silence for a while, the only sound being the thud of hooves hitting the ground. Then Yami heard the sound of other hooves. And whooping. They don't sound angry to me, he thought wryly. He dug his heels in a little, glancing over at Yugi to make sure he was doing the same.

It had been a long time since they were actually running from something, he reflected.

At least that showed they'd been getting better.

His eyes flashed red suddenly, and around them, the blurred shapes of trees and bushes came into focus. They grew darker, shadows dancing throughout the air as if alive.

At night, the forest was interesting.

Shadows dominated the environment, and even the moonlight's silvery glow seemed dark.

The cold wind howled as Yami glanced around, his eyes picking out specific shadows. He willed them to gather close, to wrap around him like a cloak. Like ragged cloth, they clung to his skin, and to Magician. The horse was used to it by now - he didn't even falter.

It was bit harder to hide Yugi, but eventually the shadows bent around his partner, blotting out his figure.

They dripped down the horses' legs, collecting in their hoofprints. No tracks, no visual, and they barely made a sound. Yami's eyes pulsed as he forced the shadows to hold together.

"Thanks," he heard Yugi whisper.