Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ If only for one moment, I could be like you... ❯ And then there were two ( Chapter 24 )

Yugi paced along the ocean floor uneasily. "Where are you Ryou?! You said you'd be here!" He shouted tugging his hair in frustration. It'd been weeks now! Surely there wasn't anything THAT interesting up there. "Did you get stuck in an undertow or WHAT!?" Yugi squawked at the surface of the water.

Ootogi grumbled and paced alongside Yugi. "It was wrong of you to keep this from me, and more wrong to keep it from his family. If Yami finds out he'll not only have OUR heads, but Ryou's head as well. Keep it down!" Yugi wrung his hands and let out a ragged worried sigh. "I'm sorry. I can't help it...he's going to miss the last day, if he doesn't come soon. Then neither of us will have him..."

Sighing, Ootogi took a seat on some sponge bed and looked at the rippling surface of the water. "So...some sea witch gave him legs...and he went to the surface." Yugi nodded a little. "Yeah. He didn't tell me much about it." Ootogi nodded a bit. "I remember the day he left, finding him out in the sponge beds a ways from his home. He looked confused." Yugi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his shark tooth bracelets clacking softly under the water. "This idea is so crazy...even if we DO find this sea witch, and convince her to give us legs as well, the land is huge! How would we ever even begin! We don't know anything about the land!"

Ootogi huffed. "It's just like the water Yugi. Don't let stuff eat you, and you're fine. The people there have common sense. We'll just ask `em if they have seen a white haired boy about our age runnin' around." Yugi raised an eyebrow and looked at Ootogi like he was a moron. "That's like one of THEM coming down here and asking if we'd seen a white haired human on fins Ootogi. There's a BILLION of em up there, all with legs!"

"Well do you have a better idea?!" Yugi swatted angrily at a passing school of fish, scattering them. "No, but there has to be a faster way to find him!" Ootogi tightened his headband and nodded. "Well sitting here will get us nowhere much faster. Let's find that damn sea witch and get things cooking! We have until the sun sets, and the moon reaches the midnight point to find Ryou." He said speeding off towards the reef Ryou'd woken from his encounter.

~~~~~

Yugi swam quickly, looking as fast as he could for any signs of anything. "Oh for the love of Poseidon!" Ootogi grumbled. "Give us a break! We need to find Ryou!"

Yugi swam further out, looking in one direction, as Ootogi swam in the opposing, and not ONE inch was going un-searched. Clues were very scarce and they had little to work with. In their frantic searching...neither noted the clouds forming over the water...

~~~~~

Yugi groaned and rubbed his head, before hissing in pain. His tail was bleeding badly. There were trees all around him, and birds...where was this place? "Ootogi? Ootogi?...where are you?" He looked around for his companion and found no one. "...Well isn't that convenient." He grumbled huffing and crossing his arms childishly. "Heavens another one!" Yugi jumped slightly. "Are you the one who gave Ryou legs?" Yugi blurted suddenly, looking the elderly woman over. She was so old, and yet still attained beauty. "The pale merboy? Was he a friend of yours?" Yugi nodded quickly. "Yes and he's going to miss mating season! Please...you have to give me legs so I can go find him!" Yugi said wincing and forcing himself to scoot closer. "I'll do anything please! You have to!"

The woman sighed. "Little one, I do not know if I have enough power to do it again." Yugi shook his head. "You just have to! Please! I'll get anything you need!" The older woman laughed softly. "You could hardly get food for yourself in the condition you are currently. How could you POSSIBLY get what I need?" Yugi clenched his fists and shook his head. "Tell me! I'll get it whatever it is!" The woman's eyes softened. "Fine little one." She said picking him up with ease. "There is a lagoon in the middle of my island, at the bottom of the lagoon, is a sacred knife, capable of giving you the legs you desire, since my power has faded due to your friend's wish."

~~~~~

Yugi winced as the icy water hit him. "Aegir! It's cold as ice!" He hissed shivering. The woman nodded. "The knife, lies at the bottom, within a small chest, if you can manage to avoid the dangers of this lake long enough to get that dagger, then you will get the legs you desire. It's not too late to turn back..." Yugi growled softly. "I refuse to give up, Ryou needs help! It's obvious! He would have come back by now otherwise!" He said firmly. "I'll get your knife." He added, diving below the surface.

The water bit him like a thousand small sharks. It was bleary and cold. His tail bleeding only increased the sharpness of the sting. He was already feeling numb and sleepy. `No...I'm doing this for Ryou, there's no time to sleep! Wake up Yugi you little ass!' He shouted in his mind, shaking himself awake and forcing himself forward on his sore fins. "Chest...I have to find...the chest..." he mumbled, feeling light headed. The oxygen level in this water was stifling, and the temperature was frigid. He gasped sharply when something hit him. He turned and his eyes widened. "...Piranha?! How could a Piranha survive here?!" He shook it off wincing in the dulled pain. "Thank Neptune for the temperature..." he swam faster, until he reached the floor of the lagoon.

"There you are you little chest..." he said opening it. As soon as he picked up the dagger, a hissing seething noise filled his ears, and in a rush, thousands of piranhas were biting and snapping at him. "NO!" He wailed and swam for the surface as fast as his injured fins could carry him.

Biting, stinging, burning, white hot pain! Yugi hissed and scrambled onto the shore, his fins mangled and half eaten, his arms and chest missing chunks of flesh. The woman gasped surprised, and immediately dug through her pockets. "You risked your life for that dagger." She mumbled, pulling a glowing bottle from her rags, and holding it to Yugi's lips forcing some of the liquid down his throat. "You've proven yourself worthy of the favor you've requested." She said as he passed out.

Sighing, the age of the woman faded, revealing a wondrous youth, with flowing silvery blonde hair. "Selene [1], you're meddling in affairs that do not concern you..." A deep serene voice chided. "Oh hush Poseidon." She huffed. "I will make right, the wrongs I may...or may not have committed. It was a cruel thing you did to him." She said turning her gaze from the healing youth. "You do not give these children the chance to learn and grow...who else might the people of the sea turn to, but the moon?"

Poseidon [2] huffed, closing his violet eyes, and straightening his pale robes. "They need not be tainted by the humans, you're inviting their doom." Selene shook her head. "They need to live Posey." She said smirking as he grimaced at the pet name. "Now you listen here you indignant little!--" he growled as she waved her hand. "No! You listen here or I shall make the moon shrink your waves to naught! I still haven't forgiven you for what you've done!" She hissed the forest thundering, eyes glowing with the anger of betrayal. "I will not let you turn your back on these beautiful people, nor will I let you leave them in the dark of this world!" She calmed herself. "You took away my moon's light and star's song and used him to light your seas, and it's MY turn!" She seethed. "I will take your Typhoon and Tsunami [3] and render you useless as well!"

Poseidon pointed his staff at her and she held out her silver dagger. "You cannot destroy me, I control the waves!" She shouted. Poseidon glared. "You cannot destroy me! I create the clouds with my vast waters, BLOCKING the light of your pathetic moon!"

Both ethereal beings stared defiantly at the other for a moment, before lowering their weapons, deciding against waging war. "I will send two of yours, to fetch the one on the land." She said softly. "We cannot harbor such hatred, Posey...not while the children of the sea are still in our care and still bringing joy to us." She said shaking her head. "I know..." Poseidon murmured, in agreement. "We agreed to create them, those hundreds of years ago, as a peace treaty between the ocean, and the moon." He said waving his staff away. "I apologize, for taking that which was not mine." He said after a moment.

Selene smiled softly. "Posey, its ok. I know that my moonbeam is beautiful. It was only natural for the sea to wish to reflect it." She said chuckling softly. "The fisherman of the moon was unable to catch your elusive incarnation of my moonbeam, failing, when mere land dwelling mortals stole his heart. We have to undo our wrongs Posey." Poseidon nodded, looking at Yugi, and noting Selene's motion to look to the side, spotting Ootogi as well. "Then, I will concede. Once again, the moon has beaten the waves in a match of wisdom. Send them to the land, and hopefully, they will retrieve the third soon."

Selene nodded. "Hopefully, but even then, he will have hardships..." Poseidon nodded and watched, as she used her dagger, to carve legs from the glorious fins of his creations. "After this, we must let the flow of fate progress Selene. Our role as gods is not to meddle." He said firmly. "We've already angered the weaver of fate. Making the quilt of history much more intricate than need be."

~~~~~

Yugi groaned softly, opening his eyes. "Where...am I?" He said sitting up immediately. "Beach..." he said blinking. He looked around and whined loudly. "People..." he wrinkled his nose, looking down. He was dressed, in the strangest garments, most surprising being that he now had legs. He wore orange sandals, with green fastens, fiery red shorts, which had blue stripes down the sides and a green tank top. On his left shoulder, he noticed a strange symbol, of a star within a circle. "The sea witch!" He said breathlessly. "RYOU!" He squawked shooting to his feet, and then falling abruptly into the sand, getting a taste of just how gross small-crystallized rock could be.

"Oh now that was delicious..." he growled, determined to walk and walk NOW. Getting up again, he steadied himself. "Now...just like Ryou. One foot..." he said lifting it, and stomping it down into the sand. "Then, the other." He said lifting the other, and slamming it down. "OK! I have it now!" He said, walking a few more steps, before losing his balance again. He'd already gathered a small crowd of children, who were giggling at him. "STOP laughing at me!" He growled, getting up again. "It is not funny!"

After a moment, he pushed himself up, and tried again. "This is ridiculous! Ryou didn't have near as much trouble!" He said, slowly getting the hang of it. "Oi! Yugi hurry it up already." Yugi fell over once more. "Ootogi?!" He squawked, spotting the other, dressed in white sandals, black capri pants and a green shirt, which was unbuttoned exposing his tanned shapely chest. Yugi was now more determined than ever. There was no WAY Ootogi was going to best him! "Oh now this is it!" The smaller teen said, up in a flash and storming over to Ootogi. "You are NOT better than me just because you're bigger!" Yugi raged, causing the other teen to laugh. "Yugi! Yugi! You're walking now." He said chuckling as the smaller teen paused to note that he indeed was. "...I want to hurt you." He mumbled pouting.

Ootogi chuckled softly, retying his bandanna to keep the hair out of his eyes. "Even out of the water, you're a puffer fish head." Yugi grumbled. "Say that again, when we finish rescuing Ryou and back home. I'll show you!" He grumbled. The mating season had gotten them both very competitive, and though neither took it personally, it did slow their search. Yugi paused, and took a few calming breaths. "Peace, calm, flowing..." he mumbled, closing his eyes. "We have to stay focused..." he added, calmer now. "The hormones are getting to us...making us compete, and Ryou isn't even here to see..."

Yugi opened his eyes and giggled a bit, noticing where Ootogi's symbol was. "Belly button!" He said between giggles. Ootogi wrinkled his nose. "It doesn't matter, it's only there until we get Ryou, then we can go home and I'll never have it again." Yugi nodded and looked around. "Well...Lets start looking then!"

AN: ok ok ok this isn't as wild a chapter as it looks, the story just has a BIT of plot that I didn't reveal in the past, because it was irrelevant at the time.

1 and 2. Selene is the goddess of the moon, represented by our lovely friend DMG! (whatever HER past name was, if she was even important enough…) ::snorkel:: and Poseidon is represented…by…::Drumroll:: MAHAADO! Yup. Cause he's kinda cute. For those of you less educated, or just coming into YGO, Mahaado is the dark magician, only his previous incarnation was an Egyptian priest. And he was perty.

As for 3. an ancient myth says that all things were created in the image of god ne? Well, the merpeople were made in Neptune's image. Each representing a portion of his power. Yugi being the little speedy thing he is, represented a small portion of Typhoon, while Ootogi and his power, represented a small portion of Tsunami. Bakura represented reflection, Malik represented flow, and Yami represented cycle. (not periods...though that's a funny thought too the cycle of precipitation. You know. The water dries, reforms in the clouds and rains back down…ect ect.) While Ryou, was stolen from the moon goddess, in a manner. He is somewhat a double-edged sword. Representing from the sea, absorption (water IS the universal solvent) and from the moon, the serene beams of light.

Anyway. That was an interesting chapter, letting you know just a little bit of mythology.

I noticed a review asking about the tears of mermaids.

Another ancient myth about mermaids was that their tears formed pearls. Because one cannot shed `tears' in water. But also, mermaids were capable of false tears, creating the fake pearl. One can't tell a fake pearl from a real one on sight. (just like real tears) but the emotion behind them shines through. Thus now people check pearls thoroughly before buying them.

(neato huh?)