Within the Shadows

Within the Shadows
Part 3
By: Shamise

~(*)~

Yuugi awoke the next day feeling refreshed and strangely content. Half blurred images of his dreams scattered across him mind, like mice feeling a broomstick, and he was only left with the remnants. Forgotten causes of euphoric feelings and pleasant stimuli left him relaxed and warm.

Smiling silently, Yuugi soaked in the pleasant calmness. The last thing he wanted to do was return to the feelings of panic and despair that had nearly drowned him yesterday. He knew that Rebecca would be here soon, bugging him about sleeping in and dragging him off to do god knows what. Mr. Hawkins may have distracted the girl for a little while, but the peace wouldn’t last long now.

Warm, fiery eyes glanced at him from the corner of his mind. Yuugi, still not entirely awake, turned toward the fuzzy memory. He was drawn closer to it, like a moth to the flame, and instantly something inside of him changed. He gasped at the sudden feelings, tearing away from that part of his mind and flinging his body upright.

What was that? He gasped for air, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. Those feelings were…so familiar, yet so foreign. He wasn’t sure how to describe them either! They were all consuming, like an open pit ready to swallow him up and never let him go.

“Yuugi-kiiiiiins!”

“Ack!” Yuugi tumbled off of the bed in fright. The sudden screech from outside his door morphing into the gently caress of a huskier, much deeper voice. Blushing furiously, Yuugi kicked the image from his mind. What was he thinking?!

“Are you awake, Darling?” Sighing, Yuugi banged his head against the frame of the bed. Perfect timing, as always, Rebecca.

“I’m up!” He yelled back before the girl woke up the entire neighborhood with her questions. He had about a second to prepare himself mentally before she barged in, huffing about how breakfast was ready and he’d better get in there fast or she would not be responsible for what limbs he would suddenly be lacking. She bustled in and grabbed his arm, ignoring his yelp or his demands to be let go.

As he was dragged out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen, Yuugi’s only thought consisted of how grateful he was that he had been too tired last night to remove his trousers.

“Good morning, Yuugi.” Mr. Hawkins greeted as he was thrust into the dining area. Appetizing aromas awoke his sense of smell, and his mouth was watering rather heavily buy the time he sat down in his chair. Rebecca, obviously still in a mood from his sudden and unexpected appearance yesterday, actually set his already made plate in front of him. He gave his thanks to the girl, who blushed in turn.

“G’morning, Mr. Hawkins.” He mumbled, just barely managing to reign in his hunger into some semblance of being polite. Rebecca finally sat down, and with a nod of her head, she started eating. Yuugi and Mr. Hawkins soon followed suit.

“Yuugi, how many times have I told you to call me Arthur?” The old man admonished, scooping up some of his fried eggs with his fork. Yuugi smiled in turn, swallowing his piece of bacon before he spoke.

“As many times as I’ve come here, I believe.”

Casual conversation rose and fell comfortably as the trio ate a rather large breakfast. Yuugi suspected it had something to do with his sudden reappearance the previous day, but he was rather hungry. The eggs and bacon tasted wonderfully, and his taste buds were still a little off center for some reason. He imagined it was due to whatever drug the stranger had slipped him.

Shaking his head stubbornly, Yuugi refused to follow the trail his mind began to take. The beginnings of images he just wanted to forget flashed in front of his mind’s eyes before he could completely banish them. Quickly, he stuffed what was left of his eggs into his mouth, chewing furiously. He wasn’t going to worry over what may have happened, no doubt Grandpa would give him twenty-one questions when he arrived later today, and he wanted to enjoy the peace for as long as he could.

He ignored the curious ad concerned glances he received from Rebecca and Mr. Hawkins, and gave them a simple smile. They hesitated, evidently seeing through his expression, but eventually turned back to the remnants of their breakfasts. Yuugi finished before the other two, but politely waited until they were done to resume conversation.

“How has the research been going, Mr.-…Arthur?” Yuugi just barely caught himself. Mr. Hawkins gave him an amused look, but decided to humor him.

“It’s been a little slower lately.” He said as he set his fork down on his now empty plate. “There haven’t been many new discoveries lately, and that always makes the other professors irritable and the students antsy, especially the younger ones.”

Yuugi nodded his agreement. Mr. Hawkins worked at the college here in Keltin, the only school building around for several miles. The school itself was named ‘Keltin’s College of Higher Learning,’ yet people commonly called it ‘The Center.’ It was the largest center of information and social activity for Keltin and the surrounding towns. Mr. Hawkins worked as a philosophical professor and archaeological instructor.

It had taken one day of sitting in on classes for Yuugi to decide that the life of a learned man was not for him.

“I would imagine so.” Yuugi commented, also setting his fork onto his plate. “You know how kids are these days, always on the move, never wanting to stop.” Rebecca snorted her amusement.

“You do realize that those ‘kids’ are at least twice your age?” she asked, waving a hand flippantly. Yuugi laughed.

The conversation went on like this for a little while longer. They joked back and forth, trading news from their own towns. Mr. Hawkins told him about the Archive expanding after they had gotten a new shipment of historical novels from a deceased collector, Rebecca chatted on about all the new hired staff over there and how none of them compared in the least to her Yuugi-kins (at which, Yuugi blushed), and Yuugi told them of how Wenta was building a new coral and horse training center.

After a while, Rebecca rose from her chair and gathered the dishes. Her exit into the kitchen signaled the end of breakfast and the start to another day.

~(*)~

“Hey! Watch it!”

Yuugi flinched as he was once again jostled into a passerby, and the following reprimand echoed in his ears. He mumbled an insincere apology, thinking that if the other wasn’t walking around with there nose in the air all high and mighty like, then he wouldn’t have ran over Yuugi.

‘Jerk.’ He accused the man as he strutted away. Those kinds of people gave bad names to everyone of their social class. Granted, Yuugi’s didn’t know that many people of that social class, but they all couldn’t be rude snobs. Nothing would ever get done.

Standing as tall as he could, so that others could actually see him in the crowd and not run him over, Yuugi bustled on down the street. He held on tightly to the envelope in his hands. It was the reason he was out and about right now in the middle of the day.

It had taken a while, but Yuugi had finally convinced Mr. Hawkins to put him to work. Yuugi didn’t care much for free loading, which is what he had been doing ever since he had arrived last night. Even if Mr. Hawkins didn’t see it as such, the older man eventually caved in and gave him an errand to run. Besides, Yuugi couldn’t sit still for long, and he wanted to keep busy so that he wouldn’t have to think about the red-eyed man.

Yuugi ducked underneath the swinging arm of person with the build of a smith or bull wrestler. He felt the whoosh of air as the arm just missed his head by not even an inch, and he resisted the urge to yell. What was with people today?! Was no one paying any attention?

Wham!

...Apparently not.

“O-ouch!” Yuugi was sent tumbling back as someone crashed into him. He landed on his rump with a dull thud that sent little needles up and down his spine. His stomach shifted painfully for some reason, twisting and knotting together before loosening with a displease gurgle. Despite the unusualness, Yuugi ignored the occurrence. He opened his eyes to glare at whoever ran into him, completely ready to give the person a piece of his mind.

“I’m so sorry!”

Yuugi blinked, his building tirade disappearing like a bubble being popped. A disheveled mass of white hair sat atop the person’s head, bits and pieces falling out of the low ponytail. The other was maybe Yuugi’s age, if he had to guess, and his simple garb made Yuugi think he was either an apprentice or an errand boy. Scattered about the teen and Yuugi were a quartet of bags full of scrolls and books.

“Ah, no it’s alright. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Yuugi responded absently. He shook his head to gather his wits, and regained his balance to help the other gather the scattered books. “Where are you going in such a hurry?” He asked as he handed a blue, leather-bound novel to the other.

“The Archive.” The other responded, graciously taking the offered book from Yuugi. Yuugi watched as the other strained to get all four bags of book back onto his shoulders, and the not irritated part of Yuugi took pity on the other person.

“Here, let me help. I’m heading that way too; I’ve got a letter to deliver there.”

The other looked suspicious at his offer, not that Yuugi blamed him since people didn’t often help out of the goodness of their heart. However, as the weight of the books bore down on his rather skinny frame, he thought better of Yuugi’s offer and cautiously handed over one of the sacks. Yuugi tucked the letter into his belt loop, confident that it would be secure there, and hoisted the bag over his shoulder. Smiling good naturedly, Yuugi convinced the other to let him carry another bag, so that they would be even.

“Do you live here?” Yuugi asked as they started off in the direction of the Archive. The white-haired teen seemed like a nice guy, despite his distrust. Yuugi hadn’t seen him before either.

“I just moved here a few days ago.” The other replied hesitantly as they picked their way through the crowd.

“Oh really? Then I welcome you to the bustling town of Keltin.” Yuugi tilted his head in confusion as the other looked at him in surprise. He quaked at Yuugi for several moments, until he nearly tripped again.
“S-sorry,” the other mumbled as Yuugi helped him regain his balance. “You’re…just the first to welcome me here.”

‘Oh.’ Yuugi wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, and he tried not to ramble in the awkward silence that followed. Yuugi wasn’t the best at conversations with people he had just met, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try.

“Do you live here?”

Yuugi blinked. He hadn’t of spoken, the white-haired teen had, but Yuugi wouldn’t have thought that the other would be the one to break the silence.

“No,” he finally answered. The other’s expression turned back towards depression, and Yuugi continued talking. “I live in Wenta, just about half-a-day’s walk south. My grandfather and I work a carpenter’s shop.” He smiled as he spoke. “We do make frequent deliveries here to Keltin though.”

The white-haired teen’s eyes lit up, if just for a moment, and his step grew quicker. Yuugi hurried to keep up with the taller person’s steps, and in no time at all they arrived at the Archive. Thankfully, the Archive wasn’t as busy as it normally was or could be, so the shift from the crowd to the clear hallways of the large building was very soothing to their nerves.

Yuugi gazed in awe at the intricate architecture that bordered the ceiling. It was his goal to be able to do something like this; to have his work in such a place that everyone could see and appreciate. He had been practicing on little blocks of wood that his grandpa would have just used as scrap or firewood, and was slowly getting better at the small detail. First attempt, a five by five inch duck which truthfully just looked like a piece of mangled wood, sat proudly on his grandpa’s desk.

“This way.” The white-haired teen motioned with a laugh as Yuugi wandered off. Blushing in embarrassment, Yuugi bustled over to where the other had directed, recognizing the darker hallways and the labeled doors to be the main office branch of the Archive. His own errand, the letter Mr. Hawkins had given him, was to be delivered to the third office on the right.

They walked straight past that office, and continued on into a back room where electrical lights hung on the wall. A robed man scurried around the room, carting books from one shelf to the other and remained completely oblivious to the two invaders. Yuugi’s companion carefully set his two bags down on the table and gestured for Yuugi to do the same. Grinning wickedly, he cupped his hands around his mouth and said in a slightly louder voice.

“Mr. Leinfelt! I’ve got some more books for you to sort!”

“More books? More books! It’s always ‘more books’ with you people, isn’t it! Get going, you youngster. Go harass some other poor worker.”

Laughing, the white-haired darted forward and wrapped the bony, old man in a hug before darting away from his swinging arms. He retreated just as quickly and pushed a confused Yuugi out of the room, leaving the shouting man behind.

“He’s my neighbor.” The teen explained. “I’m kind of his responsibility, since he helped get me this job.”

“You work here?” Yuugi asked curiously. The neighbor part made sense anyway; he recognized the name of that old man. Mr. Leinfelt was notorious for his temper, and for being a real softy under that ‘cranky-old-man’ persona. He and Grandpa had worked together for a period of time when Grandpa had been younger, much younger.

“Yea, got me an apprenticeship and everything.” The other beamed at his statement., and Yuugi smile in return. Getting an apprenticeship here at the Archive was a rather large feat in itself, either he was really smart or he had influential parents.

“That’s awesome, I hear that they are really picky about who they choose.” The teen puffed up at the praise. “I’m apprenticed to my Grandpa. I’m gonna inherit the family business someday.”

“That’s cool.” Yuugi didn’t miss how the other’s tone quieted. Did he say something that hit a nerve? He didn’t want to offend him. The walked back up the hallway in silence, at least until Yuugi had an epiphany.

“Heh, I can’t believe we’ve walked and talked this whole way and I don’t even know your name. My name’s Yuugi Mouto.” He offered a hand for the other to take, waiting patiently as he hesitated.

“I’m Ryou Shirou. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mouto.”

“Please, call me Yuugi. Mr. Mouto is my grandpa.” A pale hand reached out to grasp Yuugi’s wrist, and Yuugi’s own hand wrapped around Ryou’s wrist. One companionable shake was made as they smiled at each other.

“Only if you call me Ryou, then.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ryou.”

~(*)~

By the time Yuugi had gotten back to the Hawkins’ house the sun was already setting. He hadn’t meant to stay that long at the Archive, but he and Ryou got along wonderfully and they spent the time wandering around talking about their lives. Yuugi had learned that Ryou’s father had sent him here to learn a trade that suited the white-haired teen’s interests, for which Ryou seemed really thankful. He was a real bookworm, now that Yuugi thought about it, but it was nice to know someone to whom he could relate too. Yuugi didn’t read that often, but he read more than the average carpenter. His grandpa insisted that he be able to read, it was something he would need when he got older, and the adventure novels always caught his eye.

Ryou also liked the adventure novels, and had read most of the one’s Yuugi knew of. The white-haired teen was also a lover of other cultures, the variety of tribes absolutely fascinated him, and he had, rather embarrassedly, admitted that he wanted to write his own book about unknown cultures.

Yuugi smiled as he strolled lazily along the road. The crowd from earlier had reduced greatly, and he was thankfully for the breathing space. Electrical lights began to glow at the doors of taverns, creating patches of light where weary travelers gathered. Yuugi skirted around the bars, careful not to attract the attention of the drunken bums sprawled out on the curb.

“H-hey!…y-you over-there! Com’er!”

Yuugi grimaced, biting off a curse as his eyes flickered up to the bar right to his left; a large man, definitely a few heads taller than he, staggered in his direction on wobbly feet. Yuugi quickened his pace, just a little bit so that the drunk wouldn’t feel the instinct to chase, and tried to pass by without making eye contact. Depending on how drunk the drunkard was, he may give up if Yuugi didn’t acknowledge him…or he could get really mad.

“Hey! I-I’m taking to...you!” Yuugi flinched as the drunkard’s speech began to pull together. He turned to watch the man, just in case he had enough motor control to walk consistently. He did.

“Ack!” A large, beefy hand suddenly enclosed around his wrist, and Yuugi looked up to see the drunkard leering down at him. Eyes wide, Yuugi pulled against the other’s grip, panic setting in when the drunkard’s hand did not budge. “Let go.” He commanded softly, trying desperately to keep his voice from shaking. Maybe the other could be shown reason?

“I-I don’t think…so, pipsqueak. You owe me, re-emember? I’m gonna – take it out’ta…your h-hide.”

“Stop it!” Yuugi screeched. The drunkard must have him confused with someone else! That must be the reason! He yanked harshly on his captured hand, ranking his nails into the man’s skin. When that didn’t faze him, he tried kicking and that only seemed to make things worse. The drunkard yelled at him, shouting something about ‘rent’ and ‘overdue.’

“Someone! Help!” Please help me! He didn’t want to get hurt; who knew what the drunkard would do! He was struck across the face, and kneed in the gut. Yuugi gasped as all the air was forced out of his body, and his legs collapsed underneath him. The drunkard held him up like an abused rag doll, shouting his threats and demands.

Tears leaked from his eyes and the brute grabbed a fistful of his hair. No one was here, the only people on the streets were other drunkards, and it was too early for people to be leaving the taverns. He was going to get mauled in town and no one would know!

Help!

“Gr-ack!” Instantly, he was released from the drunkard’s grip. He wobbled on useless feet before collapsing completely to the ground with a painful ‘thud.’ A sudden wave of energy washed over him, accompanied by a gust of wind, and Yuugi shivered. The drunkard suddenly cursed, swearing at him. Squinting, Yuugi looked upward, afraid he would only see a furious drunkard charging at him.

Instead of a drunkard, a robed man stood before him. Wild, flaming hair danced upon the robed man’s head, dancing in the unnatural wind that had swept up around them. Yuugi couldn’t see the man’s face, but it was clear that he was giving a rather fierce expression to the drunkard, who was sputtering in fear. Tanned hand clenched tightly into fists at the man’s side, little bangles and rings decorating his fingers and wrist, as the man took a threatening stance in front of Yuugi.

Oh no, not him! Yuugi felt his heart struggle futilely to keep beating. He recognized those robes and that hair. Its pattern and style were ingrained in his mind.

The drunkard, his sense of survival impaired from the alcohol, did not heed the threatening stance of the robed stranger. “Oh- so you got…some kind of bodyguard huh? W-well if you can…afford that, then you can- afford rent!” he hiccupped. “Unless, y-you’re paying in…other ways.

Yuugi flinched, both at the implication and the way the drunkard charged them. The man was so tall! The stranger could never defend himself against someone of that size! Now Yuugi was doubly doomed: first with a beating, and then with the reminder of not knowing what that stranger had done to him!

“Get out’a my…way!” The drunkard reached past the stranger to shove him aside. Yuugi tried to spur his legs into some function, knowing that the robed stranger would not stand long against the behemoth, and he would have to run. He didn’t want to get hurt! Stop!

The stranger’s hand snapped out, snatching the drunkard’s beefy wrist out of thin air. The drunkard looked to be visibly straining against the other’s hold, yet the stranger’s still pose did not budge. A snarl hummed low in the stranger’s throat, enough of a warning if the drunkard had been in the right mind, and Yuugi cowered on the ground.

“Sk-bck.” The stranger hissed, tilting his head to level a glare at the drunkard. Pure fury swirled in those red depths, a fire ready to consume those who crossed its path. The drunkard blinked stupidly as instinctual fear slipped into his system. Those eyes…those eyes weren’t natural. However, the effects of alcohol were still strong in his system, and he ignored what his gut was telling him.

“Hey b-buddy…he owes me rent!” the drunkard stammered, pushing against the stranger. Yuugi watched in horror as the stranger’s grip tightened, crushing the drunkard’s wrist. The large man squealed in pain, and swung at the stranger with his free fist. Almost lazily, the stranger plucked the flying fist out of the air with his free hand and gave it a sickening twist.

“Sk-bck!”

With a heave that barely seemed possible, the stranger tossed the drunkard several feet away. The large man landed with frightening crack, where he twitched and fell still. Yuugi let out a strangled squeak at what he had just witnessed. There was no way someone the stranger’s size could naturally throw someone who was the size of a bull without any sign of strain! It shouldn’t have been possible!

The stranger glared at the fallen drunkard a few seconds longer before determining that the threat had been dealt with. A triumphant smirk lit up his features momentarily as he stared at the prone drunkard, pearly canines showing. Yuugi tried not to let out any sound, but the look of self-satisfaction sent spiders up his spine and a gasp jumped out of his throat.

Instantly, the stranger’s eyes were on him. Yuugi flinched, shrinking as far to the ground as he could. He could feel the beginnings of a fog creep at the corners of his mind, and he tried to fight against it. He watched in fear as the stranger knelt down to his level and starred directly into his eyes.

The eyes were all he could see. Twin pools of liquid fire, banked and controlled from burning wildly, watched him. Their expression had softened from that triumphant smirk to a gentler version of triumph. Yuugi wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it; in fact, his ability to reason was quickly draining out his ears.

He should have known what was coming, he really should have, but it caught him by surprise when the stranger suddenly dipped forward and laid a lingering kiss on his lips. Feeling uncertain and completely out of his element, Yuugi did not resist when the stranger laid gentle hands on his shoulders. His foggy mind sighed when those hands roamed across his chest and towards his stomach, where they stayed. He twitched as his stomach was felt, a little pressure here and a little pressure there.

After what felt like an eternity, the stranger broke the kiss to give a loving one to his forehead. Tan hands came up to retrace the swirling lines that had appeared on Yuugi’s face, gently reinforcing their reason for being. Yuugi, oblivious to all of this, simply leaned further into the other’s hand. It felt good to be in contact with the red-eyed man, and that was all that mattered to his foggy mind.

A little tingle of fear, not completely suppressed by the other’s presence, lapped at the edges of Yuugi’s focus. They were easily, initially, brushed away by the caring touch of the stranger, but they kept coming back, causing little fractures in the fog that surrounded him.

“Aibou…” the stranger whispered gently, brushing a thumb over his eyes. His hands held his face upwards, leaning in for another kiss.

Wham!

The sudden noise of a tavern door slamming open jolted Yuugi out of his dazed state. His eyes focused on the closeness of the stranger, and on how his lips tingled, and he did the first thing that any sane person would do. He screamed.

Scrambling backward, Yuugi broke free from the other’s grip. He completely missed the amused expression on the stranger’s face because all he was thinking was that he had to get away. Now. He stumbled to his feet, muscles straining for control as he commanded them into action. He gasped in fear as a hand brushed through his hair, afraid that the stranger was going to catch him, but a second later he was sprinting down the road.

Hurry! Run faster! Yuugi commanded his legs; his heart beat furiously in his chest, clamoring for freedom from its fleshy cage. Yuugi felt the stranger’s stare right in the middle of his shoulders, and he swore that he could feel fingers brush against his shoulders. He had to get away!

Breathing painfully, Yuugi kept on running. He finally caught sight of the Hawkins’ house, and he spurred his feet on faster than they wanted to go. He stumbled, falling to the ground and skidding several feet. Yuugi curled up, waiting tensely for those arms to recapture him, to take him away to whatever fate awaited him.

Several minutes, which felt like an eternity to him, passed and nothing happened, not ever the wind stirred his hair. Fearful and panicked, Yuugi inched his head around to look behind him. In his mind’s eye, he could just see the red-eyed stranger hovering over him with outstretched arms and a taunting smile.

Nothing was there. The road was bereft of people and animals, and only the shadows lurked in corners of the houses. There was no red-eyed kidnapper, not even a hint that someone had followed him. Were all those feelings just inside his head?

Still on edge and convinced that the stranger was going to pop out of nowhere and take him again, Yuugi jumped to his feet and sprinted the last few feet to the house. His hands fumbled with the doorknob, sweaty palms not getting any kind of traction whatsoever. Giving up on opening the door himself, Yuugi resorted to beating on the door with all his might. When he was just about to start shouting, the door opened up, and he launched into whoever was on the other side.

Crying and mumbling, Yuugi held on tight to the person who had opened the door. A familiar voice squawked in surprise, and arms finally wrapped back around him. Yuugi buried his face in Grandpa’s chest, trying desperately to keep himself from completely breaking down. His Grandpa’s confused questions went unheard, and Yuugi only shook them off and held him tighter.

He was safe; no one could get him here. He was safe. He was home.

~(*)~

A.N: Well, there you have it. ^^ I really like how this chapter turned out too. Big thanks to Tavi who has continued to be a big help for this story. I luff you, Tavi!