[fanfic] Got'cha (Epiphany)
Title: Got'cha
Part: drabble
Author: Shamise
Note: This drabble happens early in the story, maybe a week after Yugi is captured.
~(*)~
Yugi trailed after the demon quietly. Logically, he was 'safer' with this demon as opposed to the other ones out there. What was that saying? "The demon you know?" Regardless, this demon has already gone through pains to keep him alive, and Yugi doubted that another other demons would be as 'kind.'
The demon lead him into a grove of similar looking fruit trees. Curiosity made him pause while the demon continued on ahead. He had never seen so many trees in one place before! Well, at least not ones that looked the same.
Yugi walked forward after the demon. He watched as he darted up into the fruit trees. The branches shook as the demon dropped from them moments later, carrying a handful of what looked like apples. He stood in front of Yugi for a several seconds before dropping the fruit in Yugi's arms.
Yugi stared as the demon turned around and climbed back into the tree. He quickly adverted his eyes when the demon's butt waves in the air. Embarrassed, Yugi walked away from the tree until he was far enough that he wouldn't have to worry about seeing something he would never un-see. He sat down against a tree trunk, and made himself busy with the armful of fruit.
They looked like ordinary apples, but they were a variety of green and yellow colors as opposed to the red he was used to. He took a tentative bite, hunger and curiosity overwhelming him, and he was pleasantly surprised at the taste. It was close to a regular apple, but just a little bit sweeter.
“Mmm,” Yugi hummed as he finished off the first apple. He started on another, and finished if by the time the demon had reappeared from the tree.
“Having fun?” Yugi asked as the demon hopped from branch to branch. He spoke softly, and the demon didn't hear him. He watched the demon move around as he ate his third apple. It was strange, almost impossible to believe that this creature was the cause for so much of his pain. “Why?” He asked. “Why did you do it?”
The demon paused to look at him, tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy. His eyes moved from beyond him. Yugi sighed in relief. He wasn't comfortable when the demon looked right at him. It reminded him of the past few days when he had been holed up in that cave, and he honestly didn't want to remember much about it.
He had taken a bite into his last apple, intent on eating the whole thing. To be honest, he was full from the last one, but he didn't know when the next time he would eat was, so he wanted to be prepared.
He jumped at the demon's sudden growl. There was a roaring in his ears as the demon lunged for him, snatching him around his middle and throwing him to the side. Yugi landed with a thud. There was a braying from another creature and Yugi scrambled away a demon stomped on the ground where Yugi had just been sitting. The demon, his demon, growled at the newcomer, a wicked, goat-looking monster. It had a pair of ram's horns, dark green and brown fur, cloven hooves, and a bony body. It stomped at his demon, who was only about two heads taller, issuing a challenge.
Cautiously, Yugi backed away. The demons lunged at each other, screaming defiances and challenges as they fought. The demon has just protected him again! Yugi doubted that he would do much more to help him. His balance was upset as he stepped on an apple, and once he regained his balance he picked it up. He starred at the two demons, and a descision was made. His demon might be strong compared to a human, but it would only take one misstep for him to be gorged by those horns. Yugi didn't know which direction the city was, and he didn't want to take his chances on his own.
With that in mind, Yugi wound up and threw the apple at the goat demon. He missed, by quite a bit, but it gave his demon the nessessary distraction to attack the goat demon. The jewels on his wings glowed a bright red, and cast the two fighters in an eerie glow.
Yugi watched, unnerved, as the two demons fought. This was the first time he had seen the demon actually fight, their little skuffles didn't count, and he was surprised at how cunning he was. He fought with an intellect that the goat demon lacked, and it showed in the way the demon lured the goat demon into a lunge and countered with a jab to the throat while it was outstreatched. It wasn't long before the demon managed to grab the goat demon's horns, and from then on the fight was over.
There was a wet snap as the demon broke the goat demon's neck. Yugi has seen sheep slaughtered before, but it wasn't so...messy. He nearly threw up when the demon started ripping up the carcass and taking handfulls of meat that he stuffed in his mouth. Yugi would never be able to look at meat the same way anymore.
Yugi took a deep breath and leaned against a tree trunk. He couldn't believe that earlier he was having trouble connecting the demon to his actions. He was basically an animal.
Yugi blinked as a sudden thought appeared to him. It the demon was like an animal, then could he be domesticated? He knew that dogs had once been wolves before humans has taken them into their homes, but that had taken decades of work. Could it be possible? The demon seemed smart enough, so maybe Yugi could try to teach him?
But where to start? Yugi had never tamed anything. Hell, he didn't even have any younger siblings to order around. How was he supposed to teach a demon to be human?
He watched as the demon finished his meal, and licked his fingers. He kicked the carcass, and promptly climbed up into a tree to snooze, blood still covering his face and arms. Yugi grimaced.
“I guess we could always start with hygiene.”