Yugi burst into the town square, stumbling as he tried to slow down but his crutch providing no traction against the slick path. The stick flew from his hands, clattering to the ground as he struggled to remain upright, hopping awkwardly on one leg.

Not the entrance he had been going for.

His plight only grew worse as he desperately battled gravity, fighting to remain upright as his arms flailed like a wet bird's wings. But Newton's theories won, dragging the boy to the ground and flinging him back into a mud puddle for his resistance.

Yugi slurred out swears in every language he knew, including Ancient Egyptian and Latin as the cold mud seeped into Kaius's hand me downs. He could feel it sliding into his splints as well as soaking into his hair. Though it soothed the bump now forming on the back if his skull he grimaced. This was going to start itching at any moment.

"Yugi!" He looked up to see the circle of faces that had shouted his name in stereo. Giadus and Kaius stared down at him with matching brown eyes. They didn't look much a like but with their current expressions Yugi could finally see the hints of a family resemblance. Jack and Daniel were also staring down at him, which didn't make much sense because they weren't here.

Firm hands lifting him up begged to differ.

The ground dissolved beneath Yugi, throwing his already scattered mind into further chaos. He must have hit a rock or something on the way down. It was the only way to explain how he was currently deposited in his superior's arms. The world spun as the man's strong hands turned Yugi's head from side to side. The boy had no idea why. Maybe his imagination thought he needed the exercise. Then he felt the hand gently trace the cuts along his jaw line.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Jack snapped the comment. O'Neill could tell that the village spokesman was angered by the comment by the slight tremor running through his jaw line. O'Neill didn't care. It wasn't his job to make nice. It was his job to protect the muddy bundle in his arms.

"彼らは私を手伝った." *

Jack stared at Yugi as though he had grown a new head. "Uh, Daniel? I think he's broken." Jack sounded genuinely worried. Yugi just blinked owlishly at the man.

"You didn't break him, Jack. He's just speaking Japanese."

"Japanese?" Daniel was fairly certain that he could have said Asgard and provoked the same reaction.

"Yes, Jack. Japanese. From Japan."

"And you understand?" Daniel blinked, caught off guard not by the question but by the source. The boy who had followed Yugi into the town square approached him cautiously, his golden eyes peering up at Daniel with an intense curiosity.

"Kaius, hush! Go back to the hut and wait with your sister!" The village leader sounded worried. He took a step forward and placed a restraining hand on his son.

Daniel waved his hand, grateful for the presence of the youth. Kids tended to make O'Neill pause before coming up with rash plans that involved explosions. "It's okay. He's not bothering anyone." He turned his attention back to Yugi. "Yugi?" The Asian's head slowly swiveled towards Daniel. "Yugi, you need to tell me what happened."

"彼らは私を手伝った." He repeated himself insistently.

"Well?" Jack leveled a piercing stare at Daniel.

"He says they helped him."

"And?"

"And I'm working on it, Jack." Daniel promised himself the next time Jack asked him a question he was going to use the most convoluted answer he could to explain. But that would have to wait. He focused his mind on the job at hand. "Yugi, I need to know all of what happened."

The boy looked a little lost. His head had finally cleared enough for him to realize that this was probably actually happening. He had come down when he had heard shouting, especially when he recognized Jack's voice. He didn't want people fighting. And they weren't but Yugi could tell that his explanation was going to determine whether or not the peace held. He had such a headache. Still, he tried to explain.

When he finished Jack looked to Daniel. "So?"

Daniel looked to the villager. "Do you have a doctor, ah, healer that could see him? I think he has a concussion."

"Daniel…" Jack growled in warning. He hated it when Daniel tried to usurp his authority.

"He, ah, said they helped him. After he banged his hands on the Pharaoh's tomb. After he, ah, went to talk to the darkness. Then murmured about something about the darkness going to be in trouble with his grandfather for not answering the phone because he didn't want to talk to the tomb raider." Daniel pushed his glasses higher onto his face. "I think he needs to see a doctor."

"Sir," Captain York ventured out carefully, hoping not to get snapped at again. "He has obviously been here for a while. These people have treated him well. I think we can trust them."

"Indeed O'Neill. They seem quite concerned about his health."

Jack grumbled at the mutiny of his team. "Fine." He turned to the spokesperson that was still clutching at his son. "We won't shoot if you won't."

"Eloquent."

"Shut up, Daniel."

Giadus watched them, his mouth a thoughtful slash. Years of hunting in the forest had given him an eye observing for detail. Small things, like the way Yugi was leaning into instead of away from Jack, how Jack had taken a half step forward, twisting his body so that Yugi was firmly wedged between he and Daniel, how Teal'c had silently moved to the front in case of trouble. Nor was he oblivious to the fingers that had snaked their way to his own, giving a concerned squeeze as his only son peered worriedly into his face.

Giadus pushed himself away from the boy. He crossed his arm over his chest and bowed deep. "I am Giadus, son of Methis, and I offer you welcome. May the forest cradle you."

***

Night had fallen over the small settlement. The primitives carried torches when they moved from building to building, but other than stars it remained dark most of the time.

He was grateful for it.

Not that he actually needed it or anything. His skills were far superior to that. He had managed to remain quiet enough when the scientist had wandered by. The man had come right by his hiding spot too. Close enough that he could have reached out and grabbed the Great Daniel Jackson, the original source of what was turning into a giant fucking mess.

Instead Chesnokov remained quiet, eavesdropping on the doctor's conversation with those left guarding the gate. He considered himself well rewarded for his efforts.

From the report he had learned that the target was injured. Nothing that put his life in direct danger, but there were still enough injuries that everyone wanted a real doctor instead of a tribal medicine woman to examine him. They still weren't sure what had happened. Chesnokov wanted to laugh. He wanted to bark at the madness. He knew how the target had been injured. His question was how did the boy survive something like that. No matter. That was not important. That information was not part of his job. He would acquire the target one way or another then he would go home and retire and be rid of this headache. Maybe he would actually go camping.

But first he needed a plan.

***

"Okay. Explain it again. From the beginning. In English."

Yugi took a deep breath, rolling his fingers into his palms, ignoring the pain that laced his wrist. He let out it out in one slow breeze. He drew in more air then slowly began to explain everything again, trying to keep his voice calm as his mind ran in panicked circles. Jack held up a hand every time Yugi started speaking too fast or when he switched into a language that Jack couldn't understand. Everyone else watch quietly. Yugi could tell that they were mentally preparing questions to fire his way when Jack was done with. Yugi wanted to laugh. They were probably going to ask him the same questions racing through his mind.

Why? Why, why, why. The word echoed liked a curse. Why had Hutchinson betrayed them? Why were there Russians on an alien planet? Why was Yami missing? Yugi wanted to laugh, to scream. He wanted to beat his head against the tree Jack had found, the one splattered with his blood.

"And then I woke up here. The villagers have been taking care of me. They have been very kind. They taught me a new game."

Yugi watched as Jack took off his hat, using it to wipe off his brow. "So you have no memory between hitting the tree and ending up here?"

Yugi shook his head. "There is nothing there. I have no memory of how I came to be here. Giadus-san and his children claim that they found me at the bottom of a cliff, just before the rain started," he added, hoping it would help. Yugi frowned in thought, "Actually, it would be wise for you to speak with him."

"English Yugi."

Yugi blinked at Jack. He blushed furiously as he realized he had slipped into Japanese once again. As he repeated his suggestion, focusing on speaking English, he sent a silent prayer to whatever gods were out there that it was relief causing him to slip up. Relief or the newest bruise on the back of his skull. Either of those as causes as his current problem would be acceptable.

Jack motioned to Daniel, who silently slipped outside the hut in the blink of an eye. Even Yugi could tell that he was itching to speak with the locals. He would find out what Jack wanted as well as more than the archeologists who were playing with broken pottery back on Earth would ever dream of knowing. Teal'c followed Daniel. It was probably a wise decision on his part, especially since Daniel seemed to be prone to near death, or in some cases actual death, experiences whereas the Jaffa seemed to have an immunity to the fate that plagued mere mortals.

"Captain York."

"Yes sir!" The woman saluted promptly. Yugi giggled. She had never been so formal with her team squadron. She was probably trying to impress SG-1. Apparently they were either hero-worshipped or hated by the rest of the base.

"Radio SG-9. General Hammond is going to need to know about this ASAP."

"Yes sir!"

The Yugi and the Colonel were alone. Jack stared up at Yugi. The kid looked like hell warmed over. His face was a patchwork of lime and lemon bruises, scarlet cuts standing out vividly from the damaged skin. His visible pale skin had taken on an unhealthy tinge while his expression, the ever-present smile, looked strained and pinched, as though it had been mounted on his face by hooks. Most startling though was the change in his eyes. They looked faded, the color dulled by the shadows that had taken up residence there.

Worse was the nervousness that Yugi seemed to radiate. He had slipped into Japanese several times while speaking. That itself wasn't worrying. After all it was the kid's home tongue. But the fact that kid had also slipped into not just one but several languages that only Daniel knew was distressing. The boy seemed distracted and that worried Jack. He wanted the kid in Doctor Fraiser's hands as soon as possible.

The real question was how to get him there

***

* "They helped me." That's what it's supposed to say anyway. I have no idea what the pronunciation is and even if I did I think I would have left it like this. After all, that's about what Jack understood. I admit I used online translators to get this (I used a bunch to see if I could get the same answer twice and translate it back.)

AN-Don't hurt me. *hides* Sorry about the lack of updateness. This story isn't on hold. I just managed to get a little lost. I wrote this chapter about six times (all different too!) and still am not completely satisfied with it hence why its so freaking short.

To those who my OCs make wince: I need them for plot. And Chesnokov is an awesome OC. He's Russian. What more can I say?

I'll try to update when I can but no promises on frequency. I still know where I want to go but I haven't had an *AHA type type type* moment, so until my brain catches up updates are going to be a bit slow.