Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh! or Ranma 1/2. Those belong to Kazuki Takahashi and Rumiko Takahashi respectively. This is a product of my warped mind wanting to cross EVERYTHING over with Ranma 1/2 and actually writing it down this time. Of course, this is just for FUN and I'm not making any money out of this, so please do not sue me.

A/N - I wrote this for NaNoWriMo last year, which was a lot of fun. I've spent the following months editing it a bit and then agonising over posting.

This is a crossover fic between YuGiOh and Ranma 1/2 but the story is mainly YuGiOh and features puppyshipping along with a couple of other YGO pairings. I thought long and hard about posting it in the crossovers section, but who goes in there? I know I hardly ever do and I like crossovers. As far as I can see there is no rule that says I have to put it in that category (Indeed, the site warns that if you place a story under crossovers it will only be seen under the crossovers tab), but saying that, if people think I should have posted it there anyway, I'll move it.

This story contains both Het and Slash. And a couple of 'threesomes'. I don't mind Anzu, so don't expect to find me bashing her. Don't like? Don't read.

I hope you enjoy my story anyway. ^_^

ETA: This chapter has now been edited. It was just the odd word here and there and an added sentence or two, but I think it now somewhat reflects the upset that should have been there, bearing in mind that they were also concentrating on what Jou was doing.

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"Geez Yug, how much further is this place?" Katsuya Jonouchi asked wearily as they walked through the foothills of the Bayankala mountains in the Quinghai province of China.

Yugi Mutou, diminutive duelist extraordinaire, looked closely at the map that they had been given before their group had left the bus stop to hike to the camping grounds. "I don't think its too much further now Jonouchi," he said uncertainly. Not for the first time he rued the fact that the teacher had seen fit to send them all to find their own way in separate groups as a teamwork building exercise instead of keeping everyone together, and also that their group had been sent out last of all. But then he supposed that it could be worse and at least he should be grateful that he was together with his friends.

"You said that an hour ago Yugi," Hiroto Honda exclaimed as he snatched the map out of Yugi's hands. "Let me see that!"

"That wasn't nice Honda," Anzu Mazaki, the lone girl in the group spoke up. "You shouldn't snatch things from your friends."

"Sorry Yugi," Honda said absently as he pored over the map that he had just taken from the small teen. Anzu gave him a glare but he ignored her. "Hmm… it would seem that Yugi is right. It doesn't seem to be all that much further."

"That's good to know," Ryuji Otogi, the final person in the group finally made his presence known. "The atmosphere is playing havoc with my hair." He ran his hands through his currently lank raven tresses for emphasis.

"Suck it up Otogi," Jou said without much sympathy, "We are all in the same boat here."

"Oh come on, you can't be comparing that thatch you call hair with my silky locks can you?" Otogi said in mock outrage. Whatever Jou was going to say in return was drowned out by a helicopter flying overhead. The group groaned as they recognised the distinctive Kaiba Corp logo on the aircraft.

"I take it back, it looks like we aren't all in the same boat after all," Jou conceded with a sigh. "Should have known that Moneybags would think it was beneath him to actually walk somewhere like the rest of us have to."

"Now, now Jou, you know that Kaiba is a busy man," Yugi defended the icy CEO of Kaiba Corporation. "I don't think he would have bothered attending at all if the headmaster hadn't insisted that he would get a failing mark otherwise."

"I know Yug', but it just feels like he's rubbing it in everyone's faces, you know?" Jou stared off into the distance, following the helicopter with his eyes, "and if we have to put up with a crappy boat, rickety old bus and then hoofing it, then he should too."

"Well it's not up to us," Honda said from the sidelines. "Besides, he's the one that's losing out. It might have been one helluva trip so far, but at least we had fun together."

"Yeah, I guess that's true…" Jou said, but he couldn't keep a twinge of sadness out of his voice.

Yugi came over to Jou and put his had on his arm in support. "Jonouchi," he said quietly so the others wouldn't overhear, "it will work out eventually. I know it will."

"Thanks for trying Yug', but I really don't see any way that it can," Jou replied sadly. "The guy hates me and thinks that I'm lower than something he stepped in. I'll never be good enough no matter what I do," he sighed. "It's OK though. I've pretty much resigned myself to going through this life alone." Jou walked on sadly as Yugi trailed just behind him, full of concern for his friend.

/If only there were some way to make Kaiba acknowledge his past and Jonouchi,/ Yami said to Yugi through their link. /I don't like to see Jou in pain like this and being apart from his soul mate must be hurting Kaiba too./

/I know, but what can we do other than support Jonouchi?/ Yugi asked in return.

/I'm not sure Aibou,/ Yami spoke once again, /but those two are meant to be together and something will happen to force the issue eventually. The more that Kaiba denies things, the worse it will be when something eventually does happen./

/I just hope that whatever happens does not hurt Jonouchi too much. He's been through enough already./

/Whatever happens we will support him to the best of our ability,/ Yami said reassuringly. /We could do no less for him./

Yugi gave a mental smile back to Yami, then the group continued to walk on in silence. Honda and Otogi really did not understand what was going on with Jou, and knowing how they felt about the aloof CEO, Yami and Yugi hadn't really tried to explain it too much. The pair knew that it was something to do with Kaiba however and that somehow he had upset Jonouchi. Things would have to be explained to them at some point, but the time for that had not yet occurred. Anzu did understand what was going on and was as supportive as she could be.

Suddenly, Jonouchi stopped dead, a pained expression on his face.

"Jou? What's wrong?" Honda was at Jou's side in an instant.

Jou didn't answer, just standing there unseeing. "NO! Don't leave me!" he shouted as he fell to his knees, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. The rest of the group rushed forwards to support the stricken teen, wondering what the hell was going on.

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Seto Kaiba sneered as he took to the sky in his personal Kaiba Corp chopper. He really didn't want to go on this… school trip, but the powers that be had deemed it necessary or he would not pass this class and anything short of perfection was not the Kaiba way. He supposed that he should be thankful that he could at least join the class at their destination instead of wasting his precious time on the journey there and heaven forbid that he should have to associate himself with those dweebs that wanted to be his friends. He scoffed. Friendship was for losers; he had everything he needed in Mokuba and Kaiba Corp. He forced down a familiar twinge as he thought about a certain golden haired member of that group he thought of as dweebs. Whatever was causing that was not necessary in his life. No it was not.

As he continued on towards his destination he noticed a familiar group on the path below him. Good. So he would beat them to Jusenkyo. At least he could be first in this if nothing else was the bitter thought that crossed his mind.

A few moments later he could see the accursed place in the distance, getting bigger as he rapidly approached. It really didn't look like the kind of place that he would have chosen for the trip. The place exuded gloominess and a perpetual mist spoke of uncomfortable dampness.

A strident alarm abruptly blared through the cockpit, making Kaiba jump. What the hell was wrong now? He started losing altitude rapidly as he frantically tried to rectify the problem, but it was to no avail. Wrestling with the controls of the aircraft caused the helicopter to sharply bank to one side as the door opened itself and the harness became mysteriously unfastened. Before he could register what was going on, Kaiba found himself falling through the air towards the dank looking pools below.

'At least the pools should break my fall,' he thought to himself as he tried to angle his body towards the largest pool, 'as long as I can avoid impaling myself on those bamboo poles anyway.' A moment later he splashed down into a pool and he felt a sense of relief. He had made it! He unfastened and removed the helmet from his head and tried to surface only to find that he couldn't. Something was dragging him down and he could not break free. He would not go down without a fight however and he continued to try and struggle to the surface even as his vision began fading to black.

'NO! Mokuba!' was his last thought as he began to fade from consciousness. He almost called out to someone else, but perpetual denial had built a wall in his mind that would not be broken even as the darkness closed in. Despite that, he thought he heard a cry of 'Don't leave me!' echo inside his mind, but by that time he was too far gone to acknowledge it or even care.

With that, Seto Kaiba drowned in one of the cursed springs of Jusenkyo.

xo xo xo xo xo

The group on the road gathered around the stricken Jonouchi, who knelt there just staring into space, tears streaking down his face.

"Yugi what's wrong with Jonouchi?" Anzu asked in a panic.

"I… I don't know." Yugi replied, "Yami isn't answering me." Even as the words left his mouth he paled. "Oh Ra! Yami tells me that Jou's soul mate just died."

"What!" Honda exclaimed. "Jou has a soul mate?"

"Yes, he did," Yugi confirmed sadly, "But… they weren't together. His soul mate always denied him." Yugi deliberately left the name out, but he was pretty sure they would know who it was before long.

"Look over there!" Honda exclaimed suddenly. The group looked in the direction that Honda was pointing, the direction they were heading in, to see a plume of smoke rising slowly into the air.

"It's Kaiba isn't it?" Otogi said with sudden insight, "Seto Kaiba is Jonouchi's soul mate." He couldn't keep the shock out of his voice.

"Kaiba… crashed?" Anzu said, eyes filling with tears of her own. "Oh Jou, I'm so sorry." She hugged the unresponsive teen who continued to just stare blankly ahead. Eventually she let him go and he stumbled to his feet, leaving his bag behind and shuffling in the direction of the smoke.

"Should we stop him?" a somber Otogi asked before Jou had gone very far.

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea," Yugi replied, sniffling sadly. "We don't know how he will react if we bring him out of it – if he even can be brought out of it. At least he is going in the right direction at the moment," he mused.

"So we just stay with him and make sure he doesn't walk into a ravine or something?" Honda asked.

"That would probably be for the best," Yugi confirmed, "at least for now. Hopefully we can do something when we get to the campsite."

/Yugi,/ Yami spoke gently in Yugi's mind, /be careful. I… sense something amiss here./

/What do you mean?/

/There is shadow magic in the air, a lot of it. But what makes this especially dangerous is that the whole area is steeped in Chaos magic./

/Where is it coming from?/ Yugi asked.

/The Chaos magic is all around us,/ Yami replied. /It is ancient magic and has been in the area for a long time. The shadow magic is alien to this place and is concentrated in the general direction that we are headed towards./

/Should I say anything to the others?/ Yugi wanted to know.

/It's probably best not to; they have enough on their minds right now and it may yet turn out to be completely unrelated./

Yugi mentally nodded in reply and continued to walk on next to the almost totally zombified Jonouchi. /Could this be related to the event that is supposed to push them together?/ he wondered, forgetting for a moment that Yami could hear him.

/I don't see how it could be seeing that Kaiba is dead./ Yami felt Yugi wince and softened the blow a little, /but anything is possible, especially seeing as there is so much magic in this region./

"Hey Yugi," Honda interrupted the internal monologue, "how come Jonouchi never told me… that about Kaiba? If I'd known then I'd have…" He made a threatening gesture with his fist.

"Honda!" Yugi interrupted the taller boy before he could get any further into his rant, "That is exactly why he never told you. Once Jou realised exactly what was occurring between him and Kaiba and that Kaiba would never accept it, he resolved to cause as little trouble for him as possible. Didn't you ever wonder why Jou just stopped fighting with Kaiba all of a sudden?"

"Yeah, I did notice now that you mention it," Honda said a little shamefacedly. "So how did Kaiba take that? I thought he enjoyed fighting with 'the Mutt'."

"Oh he did, but you know how Kaiba can be." Yugi shook his head. "He seemed to convince himself that Jou was absolutely nothing to him and just ignored him altogether. That really hurt Jou too."

"Yeah. Sometimes I think Kaiba gets so focused on something that he could drop dead and his ghost would just carry on as if nothing had happened." Honda winced, "Shit, sorry man. It's just so hard to think that…"

"I understand Honda," Yugi said with a pained sigh, tears welling once again in his eyes "I'm finding it kind of hard to believe myself."

Honda gathered Yugi into an awkward hug, attempting to comfort the grieving teen, quickly letting him go again so that they did not fall too far behind. "So, that's why Jou has been so distant lately?" He asked as they continued walking.

"Yes. It was hurting him more than he was letting on, even to himself I suspect." Yugi said sadly. With that said, the conversation lapsed. The group continued comforting each other with quiet murmurs and gentle touches while watching Jou to make sure that he didn't harm himself as they walked slowly onwards.

Soon, they approached the place where they would be camping, but to the group's consternation Jou bypassed the path completely. Not wanting to leave him to possibly hurt himself or get himself killed, no matter how much he may have wanted to follow Kaiba into the afterlife, the group quickly followed. However, Jou had picked up speed and was unencumbered by baggage. Soon he had crested the top of a hill and had disappeared down the other side and out of sight.

As the rest of the group came to the crest of the hill, they could see the mangled wreckage of Kaiba's helicopter off to one side of a cluster of pools in the middle of a small valley shrouded in mist.

"Stop!" Yami called out. Everyone stopped suddenly, unused to hearing Yami's voice as he did not tend to come out in public very often.

"What is it Yami?" Anzu asked.

"Don't go any further. There is powerful magic at work in this valley and I cannot guarantee your safety if you get any closer."

"But what about Jonouchi?" Otogi asked, pointing out that the blond had carried on and was heading towards the springs. Everyone called after him, but he was not taking any notice, or maybe it was just that he simply could not hear them.

"Stay here," Yami commanded, "I will go after him and try to stop him." But even as Yami took off running to try and stop Jonouchi from going any closer to the pools, it was obvious that it was going to be too late.

"JONOUCHI!" A particularly panicked scream from Anzu seemed to finally break through to Jou. He stopped right at the edge of one of the pools and slowly turned around to face his friends. However, just as the group were breathing a sigh of relief, the edge of the pool gave way and Jonouchi unceremoniously fell in.

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So... that's the first chapter done. Should I continue to post chapters? Should I move it? let me know.