Reprise

Chapter 7: Market Day





Joey awoke with a start. Sitting up on the sofa he looked around the room. The door of Seto’s room was ajar, and he was not in his bed. Wiping cold sweat from his brow Joey got up and walked to the pair of jeans he had sat down before bed and put them on. Walking out into the hall he could hear voices, too distant to make out. Just as he was reaching the staircase he heard a female voice scream loudly, it sounded like Anzu. Without thinking Joey bounded down the stairs, taking long strides before reaching the bottom and running into the lobby.



The group - apart from Ryou, who continued to be distant and aloof from the rest- gathered around a small circle on the floor. Some looked just like he did, half-asleep and in their nightclothes, but all of them looked surprisingly happy, which baffled Joey.



“Is there trouble?” He asked, approaching the group who turned their heads and beamed at him. Unsurprisingly, Yugi was the first to speak up.



“It’s Marik! He’s alive! Mako saved him, Joey!” Said the smallest of the group. He was still pale and looked uneasy on his feet, but still managed to be the most enthusiastic.



Seto was on his knees, as was Ishizu who was holding a man in her arms and crying gently, though she was having trouble hiding the smile playing on her lips. Next to them stood Mako, being supported by Anzu who was smoothing his hair and kissing his cheek repeatedly. He did not look unlike Yugi after he had used the crystals power. It was the happiest Joey had ever seen the group since he arrived.



“Ishizu, I think we better take Marik down to the medical room and do some check-ups.” Said Seto, who with Ishizu’s help started to carry the unconscious Marik down into the basement.



“Will he be okay?” Asked Joey when they were out of earshot, not wanting to make Ishizu worry any more than she had to.



“Who knows until he is better. He has been out there alone, for days. When I found him he was half-mad with fear and sleep deprivation. Argh.” Mako clutched at his side, making Anzu gasp and lift his shirt up.



“You’re hurt!” She cried.



“It’s nothing, please don’t worry about it.” Blood trickled between his fingers from the open wound. Joey had no idea how he managed to make it all this way, with someone on his back and a flesh wound. Joey couldn’t help but feel admiration for such a man.



“Sit down here,” Said Anzu, gently helping Mako lower himself to the floor, resting his back against the wall, “I’m going to go get some supplies from the medical bay, don’t move.” With that, she got back to her feet and ran down into the basement.



While Yugi bent down to give some comforting words to Mako, Joey turned around to speak to Ryou quietly.



“Don’t you care that your friends are back? Or that they are hurt?” Asked Joey, trying to make it not sound like an accusation, though he feared it came out that way anyway. Ryou merely stared back as always, seemingly confused by the question.



“Look at him! He’s hurt! Don’t you care? What’s wrong with you!” Joey knew as soon as he formed the words and raised his voice that all eyes were on him. He wasn’t sure what made him lose his temper like that, all he knew now was that he regretted it deeply.



“Joey…” Said Yugi, his amethyst eyes wide with shock. Mako had a similar expression, though still mingled with the pain he was feeling.



“That’s enough,” said a voice from the doorway to the dining hall. It was Seto and he was walking towards them.



“It’s okay, Ryou, you’re not in trouble.” He placed a hand on Ryou’s shoulder and whispered gently too him.



“But…I…I” Ryou seemed to be having trouble expressing his feelings, looking quickly back and forth between Seto and Joey, his eyes moist with tears. He looked like a panic stricken child, and at that moment, Joey knew that he had done something awful.



“It’s okay. It’s fine, Ryou. Why don’t you go help Anzu bring up some of the supplies, they look awful heavy.” Seto brushed the white bangs from Ryou’s eyes and patted his head. Ryou nodded and started walking towards the basement, occasionally looking back at Joey.



“I’m sorry, Seto. I don’t know why I lost my temper like that, he was….I was just…” Joey sighed and hung his head, Yugi had gone back to telling Mako about the Shadow-kin from yesterday.



“I’m not mad, Joey. I should have told you about Ryou earlier. He’s just…a special case. He’s not a bad kid.” Seto gave a small smile, presumably meant to be comforting to Joey, but all it did was make Joey jealous of his seemingly infinite patience. “You’re still tired, you can sleep in my bed tonight, I’m afraid I’ll be up all night tonight keeping an eye on Marik and Mako.”



As he spoke, Anzu came in holding a small box filled with ointments and bandages, Ryou followed sheepishly behind her with a bowl of warm water and a rag. Joey nodded in reply to Seto, but before he headed back up the stairs he felt he should apologize to Ryou.



“Ryou…, I’m sorry I was so mean to you there. It’s my fault, will you forgive me?” He said as gently as he could manage, almost treating him like a skittish rabbit. Ryou didn’t speak, he did however bite his bottom lip gently and nod. That was good enough.





********



The next morning, Joey washed his face in the adjoining bathroom. Seto must have not been able to stay up as late as he thought, because he was crashed on the couch when Joey woke up. Sneaking out of the room quietly, Joey walked back down to the front lobby. This time, however the room was empty apart from Mako’s spear leaning upright against the closet door from where Joey watched him retrieve it. He noticed now the same red crystal on the end of the pole.



When he walked into the dining hall he was pleased to see Mako sitting on a chair next to Anzu, he was shirtless but had layers of white bandages wrapped around his abdomen.



“Good morning” He said as he took a seat next to Yugi, Anzu smiled in reply while Joey and Mako gave enthusiastic greetings of their own. “You’re looking better, Mako” Said Joey.



“I feel better, still pretty exhausted though. It’s a shame, today’s Market Day and I hate missing it.” Replied Mako.



“Market Day?” Asked Joey, looking at Yugi, who’s favourite hobby was dispensing information.



“It’s how we get our supplies. Every week on the same day, all of the survivors in the city meet in the town centre during daylight hours and trade goods. We get everything from food to scrap metal there.” As Yugi finished speaking, the door to the kitchen open and Ryou stood with a large pot in his hands. He looked around for a second before slowly walking towards the table with the pot and pouring the soup from the day before into everyone’s bowls, before he sat down with the rest of the group.



Ishizu walked out of the kitchen next with a tray with two bowls of soup on them, telling them that she was just going to eat her breakfast with Marik this morning.



“So, who is all going to the Market?” Asked Joey, lifting the bowl to his lips and drinking the re-heated vegetable soup.



“Well, I’ll have to go, though I would rather stay and look after Mako.” Said Anzu, who was neglecting her own breakfast to check on Mako’s stitches. Mako just rolled his eyes.



“Anzu makes clothes that we can trade for food. She is our cash-cow, so to speak.” Said Yugi, grinning at Anzu who merely tutted at being compared to a cow. “I’ll usually trade some of the gear I salvage from outside. Engines, batteries and such. Though Ishizu is the one who has an eye for bargaining, she is a demon on Market Day.” Everyone chuckled at this apparent truth.



“Do you like apples?” Asked Ryou, suddenly.



“Yeah…I think I do.” Joey blinked and nodded.



Ryou seemed satisfied with that answer and went back to eating his breakfast, Anzu and Yugi just shrugged their shoulders and decided it was an outburst best left forgotten.



Once everyone was finished, Joey helped Yugi clear away the dishes. Anzu insisted Mako lie down some more, so they went to their bedroom. Ryou picked up a new book and started reading it, as he was prone to do.



“Yugi, y’know those weapons you guys have?“ Inquired Joey, setting down the last of the wash-up. “I was thinking that if it was possible, maybe I could get one? I felt so useless the other day when we got attacked. I would like to protect you guys too, I consider you all my friends.”



Yugi thought for a moment before smiling, “Of course you can! A great idea. We should go down into my atelier now and find you something appropriate.” Shocked at the simplicity of it all, Joey merely followed Yugi without hesitation. Once they reached the claustrophobic workshop, Yugi suggested he look around and tell him if anything catches his eye.



“Remember, I can’t just attach these crystals to just anything, it’s got to be something that speaks to you. Something that calls out to you. You’ll know it when you see it.” Explained Yugi.



Joey was overwhelmed with the amount of weaponry Yugi kept just lying around. Spears and swords, bows and mace’s, Yugi had it all. Sifting through them all was a tiring task. Though he found all of these impressive in there own unique way, he failed to find anything that called out to him. That is until he saw a gleam of gold out of the corner of his eye.



“Woa…” said Joey, as he picked up what looked like a medieval shield. It was gilded with gold on a white backdrop, the crest on the front was of a roaring black dragon. It shielded about 1/3 of Joey’s body, and was fairly light, considering.



“Looks like you found it. Though I’ve never seen anyone being called to such ah…um, situational weapon before.” Joey knew what Yugi was implying. A shield was hardly a practical tool for fighting against the Shadow-kin, but holding it in his hands, Joey knew this was the one.



“Leave it with me, and it should be ready in a day or two.” Yugi took it out of Joey’s hands and started inspecting it. Just then, he heard the door of the room next to theirs click shut, and Ishizu walked into their line of sight.



“It’s about time to head out for the Market. Are you coming Joey? We could use your help lugging all the goods to and from.” She asked. She looked a lot less tired than Joey would have expected, and seemed to have been rejuvenated, now that her brother is back safe.



“Of course. Just tell me what to do.” Said Joey, sliding past Ishizu in the doorway and waiting for her instructions.



“Perfect. Oh, and Yugi. Could you get me my whip, please?” Yugi nodded and opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out the chain-link whip he had seen Yugi working on the first time he came to this room.



“Thanks, a lot. Now, Yugi will bring up the stuff he is taking to the Market shortly. Joey, you can help me carry the clothes Anzu made.” With that, Ishizu produced a notepad from her pocket and started writing a list as she walked towards the stairs.





******



An hour later Joey walked into the lobby with Ishizu and Anzu behind him. He was trying to balance a sheet full of clothes on his head whilst carrying a box of small baby clothes. Ishizu insisted that this was the proper way to transport clothes.



Waiting for them was Yugi who had a backpack filled with things that went “clang” and “bzzzt”, his sword in a scabbard at his side this time. Seto only held his gun, when Joey asked why Seto wasn’t pitching in, Ishizu slapped the back of his head (causing the bag to fall) and explained that Seto was the lookout. Bandits were common on Market Day, targeting travellers who were transporting goods. Lastly there was Ryou, who only carried several empty wicker baskets. They were apparently for food bought at the Market.



The walk to the Skyarc city centre was surprisingly calm, Joey felt less apprehensive about the red sky. After an hour they started joining more people, though not a lot. The others conversed with several people along the way, all from different families or survival groups. Though they came across no bandits that day, Joey did notice a large amount of beggars, his heart was pained every time he walked past a mother and her child.



Ishizu explained that although it was hard, you had to learn to not see them. In a world where survival relies on what skills you can bring to the table, there is little room for those who cannot contribute. Though her words were harsh, and her face stoic, it did not slip Joey’s attention that Ishizu would occasionally slip balls of yarn to the children, who would then trade it at the Market for food.



Joey smiled when he saw Yugi entertaining the children and adults alike with toy gadgets that flashed and zipped across the ground. Though the road was long and hard, people carrying heavy loads upon their backs, it was not a sombre mood. People seemed happy, happy to see friends that managed to survive another week. Of course, not everyone survived.



News seemed to travel by word of mouth alone, and people would often come up to Seto and give a list of names. Seto would then write them down on a notepad. These were people who were now Shadow-kin, and should be avoided if seen.



The closer they got to the city centre, the more densely populated it got. Stalls started popping into sight and the streets were filled with a loud chorus of peddlers trying to get the attention of passers by. Joey also noticed some people who wore strange clothes, all identical to one another who worked there way through the crowd. Some people ignored them, others bowed their head and gave offerings of whatever they were carrying.



“Who are they?” Joey whispered to Seto, “The ones in the white robes.”



“That’s the Order. I told you about then yesterday. Best to avoid them, rather than waste your time. We only get so much daylight to trade. So use it wisely.” Replied Seto, never taking his eyes off the people in white robes.



Once they reached the centre of the bustling market, Ishizu handed them all a list of items, on it were several items names and what they should trade to get them. Everyone then went their separate ways, although Joey was to accompany Yugi, as this was his first time.



“Oh, typical.” Exclaimed Yugi, “I hate it when I get stuck with fruit and vegetables. The fruit guy is such a sleazebag, if you get what I mean, and the vegetable guy is just an all-round jackass.” Yugi rolled his eyes and scrunched up the piece of paper and put it in his pocket. Picking up one of the little bags Anzu had made from all the stuff they brought that was supposed to make trading easier.



True to his word, the vegetable vendor was exceedingly picky about what he would trade for the produce he was selling, it took a whole twenty minutes for Yugi to finally strike a deal with the man before he would part with his vegetables.



“Unbelievable!” cried Yugi, throwing his arms up in the air. “Did you HEAR what he was trying to pass off as a bag of potatoes? Potatoes my ass, those were pebbles painted brown.” Joey gave a silent chuckle, as he had never seen the usually upbeat Yugi this irate.



As they walked through the tight streets filled with people, trying to get to the fruit vendor, Joey noticed a head of white hair bobbing along in the opposite direction. It was Ryou, but he seemed not to notice them and walked right past without looking up.



The fruit vendor was close, and he had to physically pull Yugi from the river of people to get to him. The fruit vendor was a man in his mid-fifties who proudly wore his expansive belly, shirtless to the world. Yugi sighed and walked up to him.



“Hello, Boalbzoa. I’ve got some stuff to trade.” Said Yugi, taking the second of the smaller packages’ from Joey and putting them on the table next to the bananas and cherries.



“Ah! It’s my favourite little customer. How can I help you today munchkin?” Said the vendor called Boalbzoa, smiling through crooked teeth. Joey felt a strong dislike towards the man and was about to interject when Yugi held out a hand. It was better to not lose his temper.



“We need some apples, bananas, some grapes and a melon if you have one.” Said Yugi, opening the bag and showing Balboa a silk vest, a package of batteries and a can of tuna.



“We’re out of apples, I just sold the last one.”



“You’re out…again? This is the third time in a row.” Said Yugi, obviously getting annoyed.



“Hey, you know my policies sweet cheeks. A quickie in the back and I’ll save you a couple for next Market Day. You know how popular they are.” chuckled Boalbzoa, who started to resemble a pig more and more.



“Ugh, I’ll pass. Okay, I see you have a few pears left, I ‘spose we will take them in replacement.” Unsurprisingly this led to more bartering between the both of them.



As Joey was looking around - having stopped paying attention shortly after Boalbzoa suggested Yugi get between his legs for the third time that day - he noticed one of the white robed figures making his way towards him. When he reached Joey, he took down his hood, showing a mass of raven black hair. He was also much younger than Joey was expecting to see in a cult.



“Hello, Lost One. Have you heard the teaching of Nyarlathotep? We in the Order protect all Nyarlathotep’s followers. We are the chosen ones, destined to lead the Lose Ones from this world into the Kingdom of Illusions.” His face held little expression, though his eyes gleaned with awareness. It was a look that made Joey feel like a child.



“Mokuba?” He heard Yugi’s voice call from behind. Joey turned to see Yugi was now holding a bag full of fruit.



“Yugi!” Cried the boy in white, whose face momentarily lit up before regaining composure. “I was hoping to see you again, how are you? Is everything okay? People in the Market told me Marik is a Shadow-kin now, please tell me it’s not true”



Yugi passed the fruit to Joey and hugged the boy called Mokuba tightly, Mokuba didn’t seem to know how to react and merely patted Yugi on the back. “No, it’s not true,” said Yugi, pulling away. “Mako went out and got him, he was out there for days. It’s a miracle. Please tell the people that, they will believe it if an Order member says it.”



“It’s not too late, Yugi. You can still join us in the Order, everyone has heard of your efforts, you would be more appreciated here.” Said Mokuba, clasping Yugi’s hands in his own.



“Mokuba…If your brother heard you say those things, you would be in big trouble.” Yugi sighed, looking around nervously.



“So your someone’s little brother? Might I guess, Seto?” Said Joey. Mokuba nodded.



“Who’s he?” He asked.



“This is Joey, we found him at Rarroghena Site - you know, that night.” Said Yugi, Mokuba nodded in understanding.



“I see, then I suppose Seto has already filled his head with lies about us. If you see him, Yugi, tell him I miss him and that I look forward to the day he will join us in paradise.” With that, Mokuba stepped back into the crowed and pulled up his white hood. Yugi sighed and took back the fruit.



“I think that’s it for today. Please, don’t tell Seto about this, with Mokuba, I mean. He get’s upset for days after if we even mention his name.” Said Yugi, pleading in his voice.



“Don’t worry, I won’t say a thing. It doesn’t seem like my place, anyway” Replied Joey.





*****



The sky was starting to lighten to the same pink hue he saw the evening before, which meant that the darkness was soon coming. Once himself and Yugi rejoined the group in the centre, they rearranged the wares they had traded, or not managed to trade and distributed it evenly among themselves.



“What’s that, you’ve got?” Asked Anzu, looking at Ryou. In his left hand was a basket full of meats and cheeses, in the other was a small object wrapped in a handkerchief. Instead of answering her, Ryou lowered his head and looked at the ground. Anzu smiled and ruffled his hair. “A secret, eh? Oh, you naughty boy!”



Joey was glad when the mansion was within view, not only was the pink sky starting to have black splotches bursting through, his feet and arms ached from the heavy haul. Though it was a strange and hard day, he understood why everyone enjoyed Market Day. It was a time where people could act like how they used to be, going shopping and conversing with old friends. Only the red sky was a reminder of the world they now inhabited on Market Day.



Everyone sighed with relief when they closed the double doors of the mansion. Yugi flopped down onto the floor and panted for a while, while Anzu and Seto did stretches to loosen their muscles. Ryou ran immediately up the staircase to the second floor upon entering.



“Okay, everyone, I’ll take it from here. Stand down.” Said Ishizu, who picked up a couple of packages off the floor and started taking them to the kitchen.



“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m beat.” whimpered Yugi, still on the floor.



“You better to lie there to long, Yugi, or Boalbzoa might get you!” Chuckled Seto. Yugi shivered.



“I’m going to take a nap if that’s okay guys.” Said Joey, both Seto and Yugi gave their permission and Joey started to climb the staircase. When he got to the top he spotted Ryou dashing past him once again, running down the staircase and into the lobby. Joey felt like he might never understand him.



When he opened the door to Seto’s bedroom, he kicked off his shoes and flopped directly onto the sofa without looking. When he felt something hard press against his abdomen, he reached under and pulled it out. In his hands was a small object wrapped in a handkerchief. On it was a note that said “Joey”.



Untying the handkerchief Joey was shocked to see a familiar red gleam of light reflect back at him. Wrapped in the handkerchief, was an apple.





****



A/N: So sorry about the couple of day wait there, I was just caught up on other things. Although I did not get any feedback for the last chapter, I decided to continue anyway, because I have faith that this story is a good one, and one that people would want to read. Every review means A LOT to me, and I would love to hear your feedback on this chapter. It's extra long, so it's BOUND to be full of grammar/spelling mistakes.