Binding Circles

Binding Circles
Chapter 7
Author: Shamise

Yuugi sat quietly with his back against one of the rock walls. His eyes absently trailed a group of seagulls as they soared on an updraft overhead. Dimly, he wondered if these birds nested in the small cliffs about a mile east from his house or if they were migratory birds. There wasn’t really anyway to tell unless he followed them back to their nesting sight, but unless he grew wings he doubted that would be possible in his present…situation.

‘Have I gone through the ‘denial’ stage yet, or is this the ‘acceptance’ stage? If it is, I think I’ve skipped a few stages…’

As his mind wandered aimlessly, his right hand subconsciously fiddled with the bracelet around his left wrist. The metal was smooth, and strangely he couldn’t see himself without it now. Was he bewitched by some kind of ocean magic? Everything was just so weird.

He had woken up today with one hand, the one with the bracelet, resting in the water and the rest of his body had been lying on the stone ledge. The ‘merman’, Atem, was no where in sight and Yuugi wasn’t as worried as he knew he should be. His mind didn’t seem to want to wake up, so he had been in a daze ever since his eyes had opened.

Silently, he thought about his situation. He had been kidnapped, that much he was sure of, and brought it this high-walled cove away from civilization. His kidnapper was someone named ‘Atem’, who was unbelievably not human. Yuugi was having a little trouble convincing himself that it was all real, even though he knew people couldn’t feel anything in dreams and his hands and knees hurt terribly from all his scrambling around yesterday. His scientific logic didn’t want to accept the fact that something half-human and half-octopus could actually exist.

A sudden rumble from his stomach cleared away some of the haze that clouded his mind. He blinked, hard, and his hands held his stomach as it voiced its complaints. The color red sparked from his throat and crept up to his cheeks as his stomach got louder. Now that he thought about it, the last time he had eaten anything was at the café and he only had a smoothie. An image popped into his mind of the strange fruits he had seen yesterday before Atem had arrived. Now he wished that he had eaten some before it was gone.

Splash

Instinctively, Yuugi shot forward into a crouch, startled by the sudden noise. His eyes instantly found the spot where the water was rippling. A dark shadow glided underneath the surface and Yuugi was gripped with a serious sense of dejavu. He didn’t scream this time when Atem’s head suddenly surfaced from the water, but he did scramble backwards a few feet when the ‘merman’ approached.

Yuugi sat tensely several feet away from the water’s edge, determined not to get dragged into the water again. The merman looked at him funnily before drifting over to where the rock edge ramped off into the water. Curiosity bloomed in Yuugi at the sight of a bag slung over Atem’s shoulder. It looked similar to the drawstring bag he had at home, but the material shone differently in the light and the ‘rope’ looked funny.

Quietly, Atem situated himself so that he was settled half-way out of the water. He set the bag down and slipped in two fingers to open the top up.
Yuugi flinched when the merman looked up at him, and he grew confused at the look of confusion on Atem’s face.

Atem sighed, shaking his head to himself and he pulled out a box from the bag. To Yuugi is looked like an ordinary plastic container, but how could a merman have that? Weren’t they supposed to use giant clams or something?
Two of these containers were set on the part of the ledge that was above water. Yuugi looked from the container to Atem and back, wondering what they were supposed to be. If it were a human that had gotten out one of those containers, Yuugi would think that it had food in it. But Atem wasn’t human…

Growl

Yuugi blushed in embarrassment and he wrapped both his arms around his stomach in an attempt to stifle the noise coming from it. Thinking about food didn’t help that fact that he was already hungry. The merman gave him a knowing smirk and Yuugi’s blush spread to his neck.

Tan, webbed hands opened one of the containers with a subtle 'pop'. Steam wafted up from the contents and a delightful aroma accompanied it. Yuugi found his body leaning forward without him telling it too and his mouth watered uncontrollably. He couldn't remember being this hungry before, but then again, he didn’t remember not eating for two days either.

He was jerked back into awareness when the 'merman' shifted the arm that was holding the container. Yuugi looked up to see the almost-smirk on Atem's face and suspicion grabbed him once again. What if Atem was only trying to get him within striking range? He still didn’t know if he was to be the 'merman's' dinner at some point down the road.

The 'merman' tilted his head to the side, confused at the vibes he was receiving from Yuugi. He hadn’t done anything wrong had he? His eyes widened in realization. His mate still didn’t trust him.

Yuugi watched warily as the merman put the lid back on the container, smiling sadly. He instantly grew frustrated. Why should the 'merman' be sad? It's not like he could go anywhere, so he was easy prey.

He was surprised when Atem shoved the box towards him, propelling it a good ten feet. The box did a weird flip thing when one side got caught on the bumpy surface, but the lid kept the contents from falling out. Yuugi starred at the box, which had landed within reaching distance, distrustfully and in confusion.

A 'pop' was heard and Yuugi looked up to see Atem opening up the other container. The 'merman' leaned up against the rock wall and delicately extracted what looked like a de-shelled shrimp. He made a big show of putting it in his mouth and eating it, probably to prove that it was edible. Maroon colored eyes glanced up at Yuugi from underneath sculpted eyebrows before going back to his meal of shrimp.

Yuugi's eyes darted back to the container that lay by his feet. He cautiously reached out a hand and touched the surface with his fingertips. He glanced up to see that the 'merman' was still focused on his own food and he gently picked up the plastic, for that's what it felt like, container. He glanced back at the 'merman' continuously as he pulled off the lid.

A pleasant aroma wafted up from the container and his stomach churned appreciatively. He carefully pulled out what turned out to be a shrimp and held it curiously before his face. It looked like it was boiled instead of the grilled kind he was used to. There were little black flakes that looked like spices decorating the shrimp's surface.

It smelled edible, Yuugi confirmed with a long sniff, and it didn’t seem like it was poisoned. Atem had already finished off most of his box and he wasn't throwing up or breaking out in hives.

His stomach growled viciously and he threw caution to the wind. What would the 'merman' gain by poisoning him when he could just be drowned? Poison would be a better way to die than suffocation anyway.

He bit off a good portion of the shrimp and tried to ignore his screaming paranoia as he chewed and swallowed. A burst of flavor, familiar but not at the same time, bloomed in his mouth. His eyes lit up in surprise at the taste and the texture. It seemed...cleaner than the shrimp he had eaten at the local restaurant. He was half-way through a third shrimp when he glanced up and looked Atem.

Atem was holding his own box up close to his face, trying to hide his knowing smirk. Yuugi's nose scrunched up in indignation and he turned his body so that he wasn't directly facing the 'merman'. He ignored the chocked laugh that came from Atem and continued to eat his food. It wasn’t long before his fingers were scraping the bottom of the container and his stomach was growling a pitiable protest. The food had been so good, but he was still hungry.

A small sound caught his ear and Yuugi's eyes snapped over to the merman. Atem was holding out his own food container towards Yuugi, and he got the strange impression that the 'merman' was proposing to share. Yuugi's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Atem. What was his goal?

Yuugi's instinct, which had rarely failed him before, whispered for him to trust the strange creature; even though common sense shouted at him to stay away. In the end, he told his common sense to 'shove it' and thought that if the 'merman' had wanted to kill him he would have done it when he had been asleep.

He slowly and skittishly made his way towards Atem, keeping his eyes trained for any sudden movements. The 'merman' held still, though in a casual way and not an ‘I'm-waiting-for-the-right-moment-to-strike’ kind of way. The expression on his tanned face was hopeful, not cunning or plotting or blank like Yuugi would have imagined. His hands shook as he reached for the offered box and each second lasted forever in his mind. He held his breath as his fingers brushed the plastic and a light twitch from his own hand caused him to accidentally touch the back of Atem's hand.

Yuugi jerked back like he had just been electrocuted. He didn’t go very far and just laid on his back about five feet away, breathing heavily. He snatched his hand up to his chest, cradling it like he thought it was going to disappear.

The expression on the 'merman's' face was...comical. Atem had honestly not expected him to freak out for no apparent reason and it was showing on his face. He had a dumbfounded expression and he blinked in confusion as Yuugi lay there gasping.

For a moment, Yuugi thought he was going to fall into hysteria. His already tired mind was really doing a number with his emotions and he felt the unexplainable impulse to laugh. He didn’t want to be hysterical and he didn't want to be here either, but it looked like he wasn’t going to have a choice on either of those. He could feel the beginnings of an emotional breakdown coming on and he tried really hard to pull everything back under control. He didn’t think he was going to be able to though.

A sudden contact with his arm caused his heart to do another one of its numbers and he looked wildly up at Atem's determined face. The 'merman' had crawled out of the water and was holding his arm in a gentle, but firm grip. He was encircled in two warm arms and pulled into Atem's chest before he could struggle and all his muscles tensed in fear. Tears welled up in his eyes and he bit them back, cursing his rampaging emotions.

"Calm down, Yuugi. I mean you no harm." Yuugi flinched when Atem whispered into his ear. His hysteria was bubbling to the surface. He could tell by the way his fingers were twitching uncontrollably.

"Peace, Aibou."

The twin bracelets began to glow soft silver, and little symbols appeared on Yuugi's and Atem's arm. A soft feeling lapped at his raging heart like the waves on a beach and Yuugi felt his hysteria slowly be replaced with something...else. "I do not know how much more of this your heart can take."

A gentle hand massaged his scalp, further calming his erratic heart. Yuugi, unwillingly, felt his body relax in Atem's arms and he closed his eyes tightly, wondering what was going to happen now that he was in the predator's grasp.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Yuugi. Please understand that." Yuugi couldn't find it in himself to move when the 'merman's' grip loosened. It had to be a spell, some kind of weird pheromone thing that would immobilize it prey. Even though Atem had said that he wouldn't hurt him, how could he be sure? He didn't know him.

"Calm down, Yuugi." The 'merman' whispered into his ear. "There is nothing to fear from me. This is perfectly natural, don't fight it." The glow of the bracelets settled like butterflies on his skin, and Yuugi found himself unable to resist the feelings anymore. He relaxed completely in Atem's arms and his eyes lowered to mere slits. Honestly, he was tired of fighting. There was no way to escape in this unfamiliar place, especially with this person hawking over him.

A few moments passed as Yuugi tried to pull himself together. Atem was perfectly content with holding him while he thought and the golden lines on their arms began to fade. A quiet rumble, originating from Yuugi's stomach, broke the silence rather abruptly. A blush clawed its way onto Yuugi's face and an amused laugh echoed in Atem's chest.

"Still hungry?" Atem asked, reaching for the discarded container. Yuugi was held firmly in place with one of the black tentacles wrapped around his waist. He was still rather uncomfortable with those strange appendages, but it wasn't like he had a choice; Atem seemed hell-bent on keeping him nearby. The half-empty container was offered to him via tan hand. Hesitantly, Yuugi took the box into his own hands. He looked up at Atem for confirmation and one he received it, he began to finish off the rest of the box's contents. His stomach had finally subsided in its obnoxious growling by the time he had eaten the last shrimp and he held the empty container absently in his hands. What now? He thought. Atem seemed to be taking a cat-nap/dozing and Yuugi was feeling antsy now that he had eaten.

"So..." Yuugi started. He was split between wanting to know what was going on and remaining ignorant. "What...why is this happening?"

Atem sighed after a moment of silence, and he gently grasped Yuugi's left wrist. Dark fingers brushed over the ruby gems and the engraved name. "So you know what this is?" Yuugi shook his head in answer. "A pair of these is called a Kroshi." Atem paused as Yuugi mumbled the word, trying to get used to the pronunciation. "Kroshi are essential to our culture. It is used to find and bind us to our destined life-partner. Each individual Kroshi is embedded with protective energies which help to keep the bonded pair safe and connected. A poorly made Kroshi pair is the sign of bad character because they are made from the heart and soul."

Yuugi wobbled unsteadily for a moment as he tried to process the information he had just received. He couldn't help but think that he had fallen into some kind of strange fairytale. Kroshi? Bonded? This was all so...weird.

“But…what does that have to do with me?” He looked up to see confusion on Atem’s face. The merman looked as if the answer was obvious.

“With you? Everything.”

Yuugi’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration and he tried to make sense out of what he had been told. Kroshi bound two people together. What exactly did a ‘life-partner’ mean? Wait a minute…. Atem had a Kroshi…and Yuugi had one, and they matched. So, did that mean that they were stuck together?!

“We are bonded, Yuugi.” Atem purred into his ear, confirming exactly what Yuugi had been thinking. “For now and forever.”

Yuugi wanted to struggle; he wanted to protest this strange fate that he had no choice in. Still, no matter what he wanted to do, there was this part of him that had already accepted what was happening. What was wrong with him?!

“At least I’m still human.” He whispered to himself. A sudden image of him mutating and sprouting fins caused him to shiver unpleasantly. He really hoped that there’d be no weird side-effects from this…bonding.

“For now.” Atem’s sudden response startled him. What scared him more was that he couldn’t tell if the ‘merman’ was joking or not.

They sat there for a few more minutes in silence. Yuugi thought it was rather awkward, but Atem didn’t seem to mind at all. He wondered, not for the first time today, what exactly he had gotten into.

“Hmm…I want to show you something.” Atem gently grasped Yuugi’s forearm and guided him to deeper water. Yuugi’s eyes widened, and when he struggled Atem loosened his grip. “I’m not going to hurt you.” The ‘merman’s’ voice sounded frustrated and Yuugi grimaced, worried about the merman’s temper.

Atem sighed and let his mate go. Yuugi stumbled at the sudden release and he splashed in the knee-deep water. He looked back in confusion, seeing the ‘merman’ drift a few feet away.

“I will not force you, if you don’t want to see.” Yuugi felt his heart clench in guilt. He snatched his eyes away from Atem and relocated them to the sky. Wispy clouds painted the blue sky a blotchy white and Yuugi wondered briefly if it was going to rain soon. The sun peaked through occasionally and a soft wind blew across the small cove.

Would it really be that bad to trust Atem this time? He doubted that any predator, no matter how shrewd, would go though such lengths for just one meal.

Yuugi pulled up all the courage he had and deliberately slipped neck-deep into the water. He starred at Atem with determination in his eyes as he kicked off of the ledge and into the deeper water where the ‘merman’ floated. The smile Atem gave him made Yuugi blush, and he ducked underneath the water to avoid looking at him. There was a sudden tug on his foot and Yuugi opened his eyes to glare at Atem. He shook his foot free as he resurfaced.

Atem’s head surfaced moments later with only his eyes showing above the water (‘like a crocodile,’ Yuugi thought). Merriment shone in his eyes as he watched Yuugi, and Yuugi continued to tread water unaffected. He looked back at Atem with slight confusion and he jumped when Atem dove back underneath the surface.

He squealed when his foot was grabbed again and he was pulled to the side like a fish on a line. Abruptly, he was released and Atem’s head popped up a few feet away.

‘He’s playing with me.’ Yuugi realized with disbelief. What should he do? Play back?

Cautiously, he stopped treading water and sunk under the surface. The water was strangely clear here, he could see everything just as clearly as if he was above water. He could felt the water’s pressure against his eyes like normal and he was glad at least for this normality. Atem’s movement caught his eye, and he focused on the ‘merman’.

‘Wow,’ Yuugi thought, ‘he looks…amazing.’ This was the first time Yuugi had seen Atem fully, so far he had only seen the top half. He had imagined the ‘merman’ to look weird with half the body of an octopus but it was strangely…fitting. Yuugi moved his eyes to look at Atem’s face and was caught in his bewitching gaze.

It took a moment for Yuugi to realize that Atem had approached him. His hands were surrounded by Atem’s and pulled close to the other’s heart. A fluttery feeling echoed in his own heart and the bracelets glowed with a soothing light. Atem looked happily surprised.

Atem leaned forward and laid a light kiss on Yuugi’s cheek, completely stunning the human. A blush crept up his face and his mind promptly went blank as Atem caught and held his gaze.

“So perfect.” Atem purred softly, drawing Yuugi closer to him. It was strange; Yuugi thought absently, he could hear Atem as easily as if he were speaking on land.

Gentle eyed, Atem led the stunned Yuugi further away from the surface. The light grew dimmer as the sun went down and the deeper they went. When they stopped, Yuugi was finally able to shake free of his daze and he looked around curiously.

It was like stepping into a foreign garden for the first time. Strange looking plants curled over sea bottom boulders like a robe and magnificent corals sprang up between its crevices. Yuugi’s diver’s interest flared up like wild-fire and soon he was swimming right alongside Atem.

He didn’t know how long he spent drifting among the strange plants, touching a petal here and a coral there. Atem was patient as Yuugi explored and he kept a silent vigil, incase the human went near the parameter. Yuugi seemed at ease with the fact that he was breathing underwater now, and Atem was thankful for that. It showed that Yuugi wouldn’t have too much trouble adjusting to his new life.

“What’s this called? Yuugi asked, surprised when his voice was not hindered by the water. He didn’t jump this time when Atem appeared out of his peripheral vision, and he silently cheered his accomplishment.

“Cersil.” Atem reached out to brush his fingers against the bumpy petals. “This one’s stem has healing attributes, just be sure not to eat the petals because they can be poisonous during certain seasons.” Yuugi hummed in consideration; didn’t they have some mushrooms like that back home? His eyes wandered over to a deep purple colored plant and asked the same question.

“Bionel.”

The next few minutes were spent with Yuugi pointing out plants that caught his eye and Atem giving him the name and explaining some of it properties. Some of the names were rather amusing: like the weird white one called ‘Sal’ that had a bitter taste when eaten by itself (he found this rather ironic since ‘sal’ was the Spanish word for ‘salt’); and others were downright foreign, like ‘Kexntielzq.’ How on earth could anyone even pronounce that?!

His favorite was one named ‘Leria.’ It looked like a cross between a rose and a water lily and these bloomed in pairs out of barren rocks. The inside of the flower was a deep red color, transitioning into a rich purple the closer you got to the edges. The outside, however, was a drab brown and completely unappealing. To the sentimental side of Yuugi, it represented inner beauty coupled with the will to survive in harsh places.

‘Yuck, I sound like a girl.’

His face scrunched up at the thought and he made his way back to the surface. He was rather surprised when Atem didn’t hold him back.

The surface was a lot cooler now than it had been earlier. He looked up to see rolling, dark clouds hide the once-blue sky and the smell of rain filled the air.

The weather somehow brought a sense of reality to Yuugi’s current world. He floated calmly on his back, his mind spacing out as he watched the first rain drops fall from the sky.

Now that he thought about it, this whole situation was probably Fate’s way for providing him with a life. Mortgage bills had been slowly building up ever since Grandpa had died and Yuugi knew that it wouldn’t be long before the debt collectors came knocking on his door. He already had to cut back on a lot of things: television, phone service, and long, hot showers to name a few.

‘Maybe living like this won’t be so bad. Atem seems patient and kind…but, truthfully, I don’t really know him.’ The rain began to pour harder and an insistent tug from Atem pulled him back underneath the surface. The vision of the raindrops on the surface above him was soothing, and he was absently reminded of his grandfather’s last words.

‘Was this what you meant, Grandpa?’